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University of Kansas School of Medicine | |
| City: Kansas City | State: KS | |
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Links:
Commentary:Vendor_Relations_Policy.doc Sales_and_Service_Representatives.doc Pharmaceutical_Sample_Medications.doc This institution has enacted exemplary policies in areas concerning gifts, consulting relationships, and industry support of educational events. Regarding the latter, KUMC is one of only a few institutions that have created a truly centralized account for the pooling of industry funds to ensure events are independent of industry control. Policies in other areas are strong as well, including comprehensive disclosure regulations and policy preventing samples from going directly to physicians. Policies on speaking relationships could be strengthened by clearly prohibiting long-term speaking relationships such as speakers’ bureaus. In addition, Kansas provided a helpful Q&A to clarify its policy on gifts and meals, and establishment of a committee including faculty to provide "continued, real-time input" into the policy suggests that this institution is committed to engagement and enforcement of these standards.
This institution's evaluation was last updated: 6/3/2008 |
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| Gifts & Meals |  |
All gifts and meals are prohibited on- and off-campus, except within large settings "widely attended," such as professional society meetings. |
| Consulting relationships | |
Commendable public disclosure is stipulated: "To better ensure independence, scientific integrity and full transparency, consulting agreements and unconditional grants will be posted on [the institution’s] website by OIC." In addition, all consulting must be documented in a formal contract with payment and specific deliverables.
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| Industry-funded speaking relationships |  |
Sadly, the School of Medicine recently weakened its ban on speakers bureaus to “discouragement” of them. Current policy on speaking prevents industry control of content, but doesn’t prevent long-term speaking relationships. |
| Disclosure | |
This institution has a strong disclosure policy mandating annual internal reporting of all potential conflicts of interest by all full and part-time faculty. Clinical researchers at this institution must also report their disclosures publicly. Further, the Office of Compliance is in the process of developing a website that will publicly report other selected disclosure information. |
| Pharmaceutical samples | |
Hospital policy commendably states that pharmaceutical samples brought on site must go directly to the Pharmacy Department. Further, they are not to be used during outpatient care, and doctors writing prescriptions for sample medication are responsible for patient education. |
| Purchasing & Formularies | |
Hospital policy first establishes P&T committee members as “Key Employees”, and then goes on to clearly state that “A Key Employee having conflict of interest will not participate in negotiating or approving any Transaction, Competitive Affiliation or other situation that gives rise to the Conflict of Interest” |
| Industry Sales Representatives | |
All vendor representatives that wish to come on-site must have an appointment and must register with Vendor Registration at every visit. Vendor representatives are not allowed in patient care areas. |
| On-campus Education | |
A central account, 'not designated for use by specific individuals,' will be used to deposit all educational grants from industry, which must be unrestricted. However, departments or division recipients may still be specified by industry. |
| Attendance at Industry-Sponsored Lectures & Meetings Off-Campus | |
Manufacturers interested in having faculty, house-staff or students attend meetings should provide grants to a designated fund at the School of Medicine. This body will then disburse funds to faculty and training program directors. Neither faculty nor trainees will be directly dependent on individual generosity for their educational opportunities. |
| Industry Support for Scholarships & Funds for Trainees | |
Economic opportunities are considered gifts and banned as such; unrestricted grants may be provided for education, but recipient may not be specified by donor. |
| Medical school curriculum | |
This institution has course offerings in place on the pharmaceutical industry as well as medical ethics in research. However, materials illustrating course content have not yet been provided. |
| Do the policies specify an oversight mechanism? |  |
This policy specifies an oversight mechanism. |
| Are there explicit sanctions for noncompliance? | |
Sanctions referenced. |
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 | Model policy |
 | Good progress toward model policy |
 | No policy, or policy unlikely to have a substantial effect on behavior |
 | Did not report |
 | Policy not relevant to this institution (e.g., does not make purchasing decisions) |
