Doctors To HHS: Exclude Textbooks And Reprints From Sunshine Act, Or Else

As drug and device makers begin collecting data to comply with the Sunshine Act, dozens of national and medical societies are asking the US Department of Health & Human Services to modify the reporting requirements so that medical textbooks and peer-reviewed journal reprints are excluded. And if HHS refuses to comply, the groups are considering seeking help from Congress and, possibly, filing a lawsuit. The Sunshine Act, you may recall, establishes procedures for gathering and publishing data containing financial ties between physicians, teaching hospitals and drug and device makers, as well as group purchasing organizations. The posting process is expected to begin in September 2014 and will include all ownership or investment interests held by a doctor or family member. The rule, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, was created to address rising concerns that financial relationships may unduly influence medical research and practice. And so, drug and device makers, and GPOs, must post payments exceeding $10 to physicians and teaching hospitals on their web sites. This would pertain to consulting fees, food and beverages and research payments for instance (here are the rules). But the medical groups – including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology – argue that requiring companies to report the value of textbooks and peer-reviewed journal repri...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs