Ray Moynihan on letting sunlight into some dark corners of Australian medicine
The world of medicine is about to take an extraordinary leap forward in transparency. In the United States, from 1 January 2012, by law, every pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer will have to start recording every payment to every doctor. From the following year, the companies will have to hand over all that information to the government annually, and this will then be published in full.
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- 1. Legislative text of physician payment and other transparency provisions included in H.R. 3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009. Passed by the Senate (12/24/09) and the House (3/21/10). Section 6002: transparency reports and reporting of physician ownership or investment interests [commonly known as the Physician Payment Sunshine Provision]. http://www.prescriptionproject.org/tools/sunshine_act (accessed Oct 2011).
- 2. Institute of Medicine (US). Conflict of interest in medical research, education, and practice [consensus report]. 2009. http://iom.edu/Reports/2009/Conflict-of-Interest-in-Medical-Research-Education-and-Practice.aspx (accessed Oct 2011).
- 3. Tattersall MHN, Kerridge IH. Doctors behaving badly? Med J Aust 2006; 185: 299-300. <MJA full text>
- 4. Moynihan R. A noble cause. ABC Radio National, Background Briefing, 16 Oct 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2011/3337618.htm (accessed Oct 2011).
- 5. Waterhouse D. GSK discloses payments to healthcare professionals. Croakey [blog]. 1 May 2011. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2011/05/01/the-pharma-company-that-wants-us-to-know-how-much-its-paying-healthcare-professionals/ (accessed Oct 2011).
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