“Sunshine” Law Would Require Pharma Companies to Post Payments to Docs

A new bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would require pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers to disclose the amount of money they give to doctors through payments, gifts, honoraria, travel, and other means.

The legislation, the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, was introduced September 6 by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Herb Kohl (D-Wis.). The proposed federal legislation applies to companies with $100 million or more in annual gross revenues. The bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a Web site and post payment information disclosed by industry. Penalties for not reporting payments would range from $10,000 to $100,000 per violation.

Several states, including Minnesota, Vermont, Maine, and West Virginia, have similar laws on the books.

"Right now the public has no way to know whether a doctor's been given money that might affect prescribing habits," Grassley said in a statement. "This bill is about letting the sun shine in so that the public can know. Whether it's dinner at a restaurant or tens of thousands of dollars or more in fees and travel, patients shouldn't be in the dark about whether their doctors are getting money from drug and device makers," added Grassley, a ranking member of the Senate's Committee on Finance, which issued a report in April on the potential for influence by pharmaceutical companies on medical education. Kohl is chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, which held a hearing in June to examine the financial relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry.

         Subscribe in NewsGator Online   Subscribe in Bloglines

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

The Meeting Planning Blog

Face2Face Latest Posts

Webinars

Is This Meeting Really Necessary? Owning Visibility and Control of Your Company's Meetings Spend

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 1:00pm ET

Join Corporate Meetings & Incentives’ newest columnist, Betsy Bondurant, formerly of Amgen and now a meetings management consultant, for a free eye-opening web seminar on strategic meetings management. Discover how you can better control your corporate-wide meetings spend without losing the strategic value of your meetings and events. Webinar Registration


Back to Top

Explore Our Newsletters

On Medical Meetings

Meeting Planner Survival Guide

NEW & IMPROVED! Whether you're a novice planner or a veteran, this compilation of must-read articles is your meeting planning resource.

Suppliers/
Facilities/CVBs

MeetingsNet makes it easy to find the CVB, tourist boards, and facilities you need for your next meeting.

Deals &
Discounts

Special group hotel offers brought to you by MeetingsNet.

Find A Job

Targeted to all aspects of the hospitality and special events industry.

Education
Central

Upcoming Events, Live and Online

Inside Current Issue

June 2008 Cover

June 2008

April 2008 Medcial Meetings

March 2007

MTNGS Cover

January 2008

MTNGS Cover

September 2007

MTNGS Cover

July 2007

Browse Back Issues