A recent article in The Washington Post reports that "94 percent of physicians have 'a relationship' with the pharmaceutical, medical device or other related industries." Patients seem to want more transparency and full disclosure on these potential conflicts of interest, with 78 percent of survey respondents believing that gifts received by doctors from the pharmaceutical industry are likely to influence prescriptions.
Legislation was introduced in January, in the form of the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, to increase transparency into this practice, "that would require drug and medical device manufacturers to report payments to any physician of more than $100, whether as a gift or for research purposes, and to publish the information online." Some healthcare systems have already created disclosure policies.
Some physicians and industry folks point out that some such relationships are beneficial, citing the development of new therapies as one example. Steven Nissen, chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, says, "We can't lose sight of the fact that it is potentially beneficial [to the public] for industry to interact with physicians, because someone needs to develop these drugs." However, "about five years ago, Nissen said he realized he felt beholden to the companies that paid him. He said the money he earns from industry now goes directly to charity."
A public database disclosing financial ties is on the table. Perhaps its creation and accessibility would oblige those suppliers involved to, as Ed Howe, retired president of Aurora Health Care, noted, "sell on true value and quality performance," rather than solely on relationship.
This blog first appeared at Action for Better Healthcare.