Medtronic
ORG
Medtronic
Medtronic and Guidant recalled certain heart defibrillators, both companies provided new devices free and agreed to reimburse patients up to $2,500 in out-of-pocket expenses. The government and Medtronic have started talks to determine the producer's potential liabilities. Medtronic, the country's biggest producer of heart devices, said that the medical costs of a replacement operation were effectively offset by its provision of a free device. Both Medtronic and Guidant face scores of lawsuits, and Guidant is also under investigation by the Justice Department in connection with its handling of safety issues involving those devices. The plaintiffs' lawyers involved in Medtronic and Guidant cases said they believed that recent changes in federal law had opened the door for them to bring claims on Medicare's behalf.