joint-replacement surgery

The FDA and the manufacturer were alerted to Profemur titanium hips breaking inside patients as of 2005. It took 15 years to recall the devices. Many fractures could have been avoided.

In a torrent of lawsuits in Alachua County, patients accuse device maker Exactech of hiding knee and hip implant defects for years. The company denies the allegations.

For most hospitals in Florida, Medicare is changing the way it pays for hip- and knee-replacement operations to ensure that patients get the right care...