Casting more light on doctors' financial ties may be delayed
A rule in the federal Affordable Care Act could shine light on the financial relationships that doctors share with drug companies and medical device makers. People from across the biopharmaceutical industry are converging on Philadelphia this month for a Drug Information Association meeting -- and plans for the Physician Payments Sunshine Act provision are on the agenda.
The law was designed to create a website to disclose any payment of $10 or more that drug and device makers give to doctors or research hospitals.
Psychiatrist Daniel Carlat says patients would benefit from a national database to look up doctors.
"They really want their doctors to practice medicine based on the evidence rather than based on a marketing visit from a drug rep or a pharmaceutical company," he said.
Carlat leads a group at the Pew Charitable Trusts working to reduce conflicts of interest that hurt health care. He said information from within the pharmaceutical industry shows that treatment decisions can be influenced.
"When pharmaceutical companies have doctors sit in on lectures with either pharmaceutical reps or other doctors, they keep track of how those interactions affect prescribing," Carlat said.
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/39331
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