A former Boston Scientific saleswoman has filed a lawsuit accusing the company and six other firms of defrauding the federal Medicare program by promoting surgical devices for off-label uses. According to the whistleblower lawsuit, the companies violated the federal False Claims Act by encouraging health care providers to perform a heart procedure as a more costly inpatient procedure. Other companies named in the lawsuit include Medtronic Inc., St. Jude Medical Inc., Endoscopic Technologies Inc., and Atricure Inc