The Council of Medical Specialty Societies, which includes 32 physician groups with some 650,000 members, has adopted a new ethics code designed to limit the influence that drug and device makers have over patient care. Among the groups represented are the American College of Cardiology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians.
In doing so, the CMSS addresses an issue that has roiled the pharmaceutical industry and attracted withering attention from consumer groups and government officials, who have increasingly complained that conflicts can skew patient treatment. In recent years, the concerns have led to scrutiny of freebies, continuing medical education, research grants and fees for speaking and consulting. In response, a few big drugmakers have begun disclosing such ties (background here, here and here.
“Physicians and patients count on medical societies to be authoritative, independent voices in science and medicine,” Allen Lichter, who heads the American Society of Clinical Oncology and chairs the CMSS Task Force on Professionalism and Conflict of Interest, says in a statement. "By adopting this code, societies demonstrate their commitment to the highest level of ethical standards in their activities and to providing the best possible care for patients and populations.”
Here is the code and this is the list of groups that signed (so far, 13 have agreed). And here is what the code requires:
Conflicts of Interest: Develop and publicly post policies and procedures to disclose and manage conflicts of interest among those who participate in society activities (e.g., medical meetings, clinical practice guidelines, scientific journals).
Financial Disclosure: Publicly disclose donations and support received from for-profit companies in the health sector, and disclose Board members’ financial and uncompensated relationships with companies. · Independent Program Development: Develop and make publicly available policies and procedures that ensure that educational programs, advocacy positions, and research grants are developed independent of industry supporters.
Independent Leadership: Prohibit society leaders (presidents, CEOs, and editors-in-chief of society journals) from having direct financial relationships with relevant for-profit companies in the health care sector.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Kassirer
16 Comments
Hey - where's my "hat tip".....;-)
Oh Happy Day! This is great news, I really like the part about the guidelines....
Hmm, there could be quite a brisk business of guidelines being re-written all over America. I would love to do a comparison of a before and after.
Sometimes I think we ARE moving in the right direction!
Interesting,.. I noticed that no Psychiatric Groups signed on. Isnt shocking since, they are, the most unethical group of all. For the record, Im not a Scientologist, so folks can keep their Scientology bashing to themselves!!
i agree with the 1st comment. changes being made all over and it will be interesting to see how these are enforced etc.
big thanks to Senator Grassley, he has pushed this all by himself basically. there is some true health reform.
> LillyMill Said big thanks to Senator Grassley, he has pushed this all by himself basically. there is some true health reform.
Chuck Grassley is one courageous individual. Yesterday, he was the only Republican to break ranks and vote with the Democrats to bring financial reform to Wall Street. If more Republicans were like him, I would come back into the fold.
I won't hold my breath for the American College of Rheumatology to sign on.
Wow! I too am encouraged. This is a step in the right direction. This kind of reform is long overdue. KUDOS to CMSS. KUDOS to Senator Grassley. This will be remembered as part of his legacy. All medical practice guideline need to be re-written from scratch. We really can't trust any of the existing guidelines. Sources of unbiased CME are also desperately needed.
When it's good, soak it in.
Lisa, The American Psychiatric Association no longer accepts pharmaceutical industry support for CME symposia.
Pharmavet, Who do you think pays for the APA's yearly conference?.. Big Bucks My Dear,.. Big Bucks.
and I'd also like to add that approx 65% of NAMI's funding also comes from Industry, Oh Hell, they even payed Mary Jo Codey's quaint front group to push for the Mother's Act, which Pharma will see a boost in sales due to the haphazard overprescribing of psyche drugs to unsuspecting pregnant woman, and that's just for starters.
I am so glad that none of you have any faith in doctors not to be swayed by shiny trinkets. Plus with the upcoming nanny state healthcare approaching you won't need to worry about branded meds.
Nanny state?
It would be nice if people who used such rhetoric were themselves capable of growing up.
Lisa, I'm no big fan of the Codeys myself. As if NJ weren't in big enough financial trouble, State Sen. Richard Codey sponsored a bill that would provide funds to preserve the old Greystone Park Hospital as some sort of protected historic landmark. A landmark to what? A place where thousands of patients were subject to lobotomies, electroconvulsive treatments, insulin shock, cold shock, straightjackets, and other forms of "therapy". Other than the last gasps of a hack politician faced with imminent loss of political power, who is trying to drum up a bit of patronage, I can't think for the life of me why someone would want to preserve that place.
Most local residents (including me) didn't give Greystone much thought until they began housing the overflow of the criminally insane from other institutions. Periodically a "client" would escape from Greystone's poorly guarded confines and wind up on the streets of Morris Plains. I'm sure that the good citizens and local establishments of Mo. Plains were none too pleased with that. Perhaps if they made it to West Orange, Codey might consider them as potential new voters.
Pharmavet,
WOW, I love it when someone agrees with me in regards to the Codeys, and I agree with your statements 100%.
Excellent news on the new guidelines - a step forward for medical professionalism.
anyone here know what it was like in Greystone during the 1960s? I'm looking for information. My mother was there in the 1960s. She was given ECT. I'm curious to find out what it was like inside.
Mike