Already accused by the federal government of paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to doctors, some orthopedic device companies gave a partial explanation as to why the payments were made. Zimmer paid $85 million dollars to consultants, most of whom are doctors, during the first 10 months of this year. According to the Wall St. Journal Health Blog, implant maker Zimmer’s CFO detailed the payments as follows: “74% of the outlays were for royalties, 11% for consulting, 10% for “research & clinical” work, 4% for “education & other” and 1% for travel and expenses.”