Docs brace for sunshine as industry gifts go public (FierceMedicalDevices)
Starting this month, medical device and drug companies are disclosing every dollar they pay doctors, whether to recoup a meal or bankroll a clinical trial, and rising scrutiny has some physicians rethinking their relationships with the industry.
As The Wall Street Journal reports, thanks to the Affordable Care Act's sunshine provision, companies are reporting their transactions with physicians to the feds, and, come September 2014, those names and figures will end up on a searchable public website maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Drug and device companies dole out hundreds of millions of dollars to doctors each year, often for consultations and clinical expertise, but sometimes for promotional activities that alarm watchdog groups and occasionally run afoul of the law. Now, with more scrutiny on the horizon, some doctors are worried patients won't be able to discern between the two, casting doubts on professional reputations.
John Mandrola, a Kentucky cardiologist, told the WSJ he's been paid around $1,500 in speaking fees by medical device companies this year, but he'll be...
