Millions paid to influential chairman

Accounting by the Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today shows that a University of Wisconsin-Madison chairman has received more than $25 million in royalties from Medtronic, a medical device firm, since 2003.

“Additionally, UW Hospital spent $27 million for Medtronic spinal products from 2004 to 2010, according to documents obtained through an open records request. And the chairman, Zdeblick, a renowned spinal surgeon, has co-authored several positive research papers about the company’s spine products.”