Minnesota and New York are looking to join Massachusetts and Vermont in restricting industry gifts to physicians and enacting other measures to limit the influence pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers have in physicians' decision-making, according to a report in American Medical News.
Minnesota currently is considering three such bills, according to the report. One bill would ban entirely the sale of prescribing information to pharmaceutical companies; the second would ban gifts over $5 and require disclosure of physician payments from the industry; and the third would require drug company revenue to be used for an "academic detailing program" to send non-pharmaceutical reps to physicians to share evidence-based prescribing medication.
N.Y. Governor David Paterson has proposed industry gift limits in his 2010-2011 proposed budget. If passed the restriction include:
- New rules regulating meals provided by sales reps to physicians. In particular, sales representatives may provide lunch to a physician's office if it is brought specifically for a meeting. Sales representatives will not be allowed to take a physician out to eat or provide meals to family and friends of physicians.
- New rules eliminating any gifts such as sporting event or theater tickets, as well as "floral arrangements, artwork, compact discs" or other gifts.
- New regulations limiting consulting services and speaking engagement payments to physicians at conferences and continuing medical education events, to ensure that physicians are only being reimbursed for "bona fide" services.
Supporters of such legislation say the measures aim to restore trust and integrity in medicine, according to the report. Opponents, such as the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, say that the New York and Minnesota restrictions would make it more difficult for drug companies to share important information with physicians.
The American Medical Association states that physicians should not accept gifts worth more than $100 that do not benefit patients, according to the report.
Read the AMNews report on industry gifts to physicians.