Rep. DeFazio wrote provision that forces new disclosures
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–October 1, 2014. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is applauding the first-ever release of data detailing the financial relationship between doctors and the prescription drug and medical device industries. In 2008, Rep. DeFazio introduced The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which became a provision in the Affordable Care Act known as the Open Payments Program.
The provision requires prescription drug and medical device manufacturers to publicly report gifts and payments to doctors for trips, meals, speaking fees and honoraria.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported during the last five months of 2013, there were 4.4 million payments valued at nearly $3.5 billion, attributable to 546,000 physicians and 1,360 teaching hospitals.
“Every year, pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers spend billions of dollars promoting their products,” DeFazio said. “However, there’s a difference between educating doctors on the uses and effects of new drugs and devices, versus enticing healthcare professionals with lavish gifts. When you have one surgeon in Texas receiving $7 million, almost all of it from one company, it’s bound to raise a few eyebrows. Thanks to the Open Payments Program, patients and doctors will have a better understanding of what these companies are paying for. This provision keeps the pharmaceutical and medical device industries honest.”
CMS plans to issue reports annually, and will include 12-month data beginning in June 2015.
The Open Payments dataset is available at www.cms.gov/openpayments.
Source: defazio.house.gov
