Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Let the Sunshine In

Is Your Doctor Getting Paid by Big Pharma?
If you’ve ever wondered if your doctor is one of those who’s received payments, meals, trips, speaker or travel fees, or research money from a large pharmaceutical or medical device company, you’ll be glad to hear it’s going to get much easier to find out:  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) just released final rules for the so-called “The Sunshine Act,” part of the Affordable Care Act, which requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biological products, and medical supplies who are reimbursed by Medicare — as many physicians, and perhaps even most, are — to report information to CMS each year on payments, ownership, investment interests, and any other items of value the companies give to doctors and teaching hospitals.