Dr. Kingsley R. Chin Settles Civil Case with U.S. DOJ

Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, founder of SpineFrontier, has completed a civil settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding allegations that SpineFrontier paid illegal kickbacks to spine surgeons consulting with the company. The allegations were brought under the False Claims Act, which aims to combat fraud against the federal government. The settlement, finalized on November 27, 2023, marks the end of this legal chapter for Dr. Chin and SpineFrontier.

Despite this legal issue, Dr. Chin remains at the forefront of spinal surgery innovation through his leadership of KIC Ventures LLC. The core mission of KIC Ventures is to develop and promote less-exposure spine surgery (LESS) solutions, which aim to minimize surgical exposure and advance outpatient spine surgery techniques. This focus is intended to improve patient outcomes worldwide by making spine surgery less invasive and more effective.

Court documents reveal that the civil settlement agreement was fully executed by all parties involved. Specifically, Court Listener document #156 notes the completion of the settlement agreement, while document #160 indicates that the United States has agreed to the dismissal without prejudice of all state-law claims asserted by the relators against the defendants in the relators' complaint. This dismissal without prejudice means that the claims can potentially be brought again in the future, but they are currently not being pursued.

Learning from his experiences with SpineFrontier, Dr. Chin is now concentrating on a new career path in health technology investments. As the CEO of KIC Ventures, LLC, he is dedicated to pioneering advancements in LESS and developing cutting-edge medical technologies. His work aims to continue the trend of improving surgical outcomes and patient care in the field of spinal surgery.

SOURCE:

https://www.odtmag.com/contents/view_breaking-news/2024-07-22/dr-kingsley-r-chin-settles-civil-case-with-us-doj/