The movie Puncture is the true story about partners in the small law firm Weiss and Danziger who were approached by a potential client. The client, an inventor, was having trouble selling a safety syringe developed to protect health care workers from accidentally being infected by dirty needles. Government bureaucracy was the reason. Laws like the Stark Anti-Kickback Act were designed to protect consumers, but actually morphed into safe-harbors for industries like medical supply companies to protect antiquated needle systems. In the movie, a major industry needle maker and hospital group purchasing organizations pushed back against the introduction of the new, safer syringes. Jesse Martin (“Law and Order”) stars in the film and stopped by MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to promote the film, which opened Sept. 23.
