FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
Contact: Pete Thomson
[email protected]
703-665-4786Jeff Koetje, M.D.
[email protected]
Sterling, Virginia – As the Medicare Open Payments database prepares to launch, an evaluation by the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) reveals that conflict-of-interest policies at many major teaching hospitals still fall short. This assessment, part of AMSA’s annual Scorecard, reviews more than 200 U.S. teaching hospitals and highlights a lack of transparency in industry influence.
While the Open Payments database will eventually provide insight into financial relationships between physicians, medical facilities, and the pharmaceutical industry, AMSA’s Scorecard, now in its eighth year, offers a clear overview of institutional conflict-of-interest policies at academic medical centers. With this latest update, the Scorecard now evaluates 204 teaching hospitals in addition to all 160 U.S. medical schools.
Among the 204 teaching hospitals assessed, 35 received an A (17 percent), 111 earned a B (54 percent), and 31 were given a C (15 percent). Twenty-seven hospitals (13 percent) received an “Incomplete” score due to insufficient publicly available policies.
Teaching hospitals receive federal subsidies to train resident physicians, yet before their inclusion in AMSA’s Scorecard, there was little public accountability regarding the influence of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers on purchasing decisions and treatment options.
One particularly notable finding as the Open Payments system and the Sunshine Act begin to reveal industry relationships is that while most hospitals have policies requiring internal disclosure of conflicts of interest, very few mandate public disclosure. Only 19 teaching hospitals met AMSA’s “model” criteria by ensuring transparency both internally and externally.
The Scorecard is part of AMSA’s Just Medicine Campaign and was previously known as the AMSA PharmFree Scorecard. With the addition of teaching hospitals, this tool is especially useful for medical students selecting a residency program, providing a clear look at each institution’s stance on industry influence.
“As physicians-in-training, we need confidence that our education is free from conflicts of interest,” says Dr. Britani Kessler, AMSA’s national president. “That’s why AMSA is committed to advocating for students and ensuring unbiased medical training. We are excited to release the 2014 Scorecard with this year’s expansion to include teaching hospitals.”
The AMSA Scorecard for U.S. Teaching Hospitals is available athttp://teaching-hospitals.amsascorecard.org/. Members of the scorecard’s research team introduced and discussed their findings on Monday, Sept. 29. The event included Dr. Daniel Carlat of the Pew Charitable Trusts, Shantrice Appleby, AMSA’s Just Medicine fellow, and Dr. William Jordan, president-elect of the National Physicians Alliance. To learn more about the AMSA Scorecard and the AMSA Just Medicine Campaign, visit//www.amsa.org/JustMedicine.
About the Just Medicine Campaign
Launched in 2002, AMSA’s PharmFree Campaign—now the Just Medicine Campaign—encourages and works with medical schools and academic medical centers to develop policies that protect the integrity of medical education and reduce conflicts of interest through rigorous regulation of interactions with pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The Campaign guides medical students in advocating for evidence-based rather than marketing-based prescribing practices, the removal of conflicts of interest, and global access to essential medicines. AMSA provides toolkits, talks, and training institutes to help medical students advance these goals. For more information, visit//www.amsa.org/JustMedicine.
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About the American Medical Student Association
AMSA is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online at www.amsa.org.