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Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences | |
| City: Bethesda | State: MD | |
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Commentary: A special case, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is governed by overarching policies of the Department of Defense and the executive branch. Because of their specific (yet not medical-school-specific) nature, a follow-up phone call was required to understand how these policies applied to faculty and trainees at USU. This was a departure from an otherwise uniformly blinded scoring process. It was decided to include their assessment with this caveat, rather than omit USU from the scorecard.
This institution's evaluation was last updated: 6/3/2008 with the revision described above updated 6/16/2009 |
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| Gifts & Meals |  |
This policy does allow gifting, but contains very strict controls. Gifts are capped at $50 max per year, and $20 max per instance. Still, a complete ban on gifting would seem to be a simpler and stronger policy choice. |
| Consulting relationships | |
The University requires strict review of all external relationships. A contract is not required, but a high level of detail is required in individual reporting for review. |
| Industry-funded speaking relationships | |
Stringent review (as above) is a substantial limit on speaking relationships. Speakers may only speak on areas of general expertise. Their presentation may not be more than 10% on their specific (government) research. Longevity of speaking relationships is not addressed in the policy, although stringent review may help to prevent participation in speakers’ bureaus. |
| Disclosure |  |
This policy stipulates public disclosure for employees above a certain pay level, and private disclosure for those involved in procurement etc. However, there is no general disclosure provision. |
| Pharmaceutical samples |  |
Military teaching hospitals may have samples policies, but USU itself does not dispense prescription drugs. |
| Purchasing & Formularies |  |
Recusal is required for individuals in decision-making bodies when they have financial relationships with the entity under consideration. |
| Industry Sales Representatives | |
Vendor access policies are hospital-specific and not regulated by USU. However overarching policy does require vendors go through a contracting office to show their products. |
| On-campus Education | |
This policy seems to only address CME activity, rather than all on-site education. For CME, the policy says USU must be responsible for content and speaker selection. A stronger policy would ensure funds are anonymized and establish a process for content review to ensure independence. |
| Attendance at Industry-Sponsored Lectures & Meetings Off-Campus | |
Travel funds for off-site event attendance must be approved. Gifts for attendance are prohibited under gifts policy. |
| Industry Support for Scholarships & Funds for Trainees | |
Oversight of scholarship funds in place. |
| Medical school curriculum | |
It was unclear whether medical school curriculum covers explicitly pharmaceutical interactions with physicians and trainees. |
| Do the policies specify an oversight mechanism? |  |
Significant oversight established in policies. |
| Are there explicit sanctions for noncompliance? | |
Well-delineated sanctions established in policies. |
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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) |
