|
|||||
|
|
A Review of the Federal Guidelines That Inform and Influence Relationships Between Physicians and Industry |
|
| Authors: | Robert H. Birkhahn MD Edward Jauch MD David A. Kramer MD Richard M. Nowak MD Ali S. Raja MD MBA Richard L. Summers MD Jim Edward Weber DO Deborah B. Diercks MD MSc |
| Affiliation: | From the New York Methodist Hospital (RHB), Brooklyn, NY;Medical University of South Carolina (EJ), Charleston, SC;York Hospital (DAK), York, PA;Henry Ford Hospital (RMN), Detroit, MI;Brigham and Women's Hospital (ASR), Boston, MA;the University of Mississippi Medical Center (RLS), Jackson, MS;the University of Michigan (JEW), Ann Arbor, MI;Hurley Medical Center (JEW), Flint, MI;and the University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento (DBD), CA. |
| Abstract: | The effective delivery and continued advancement of health care is critically dependent on the relationship between physicians and industry. The private sector accounts for 60% of the funding for clinical research and more than 50% of the funding sources for physician education. The nature of the physician–industry relationship and the role of the physician as a gatekeeper for health care make this association vulnerable to abuse if certain safeguards are not observed. This article will review the current federal guidelines that affect the physician–industry relationship and highlight several illustrative cases to show how the potential for abuse can subvert this relationship. The recommendations and "safe harbors" that have been designed to guide business relationships in health care are discussed. |
| Keywords: | industry relations pharmaceutical fraud Office of the Inspector General |