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US Hospitals Ban Gifts to Doctors from Drug Industry
January 20, 2008 at 3:02 PM
Hospital News
Ken Johnson, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, had heard of hospitals and clinics banning promotional items before, but said SDMC's purge was unprecedented.
"I've never seen nor heard of a systematic roundup of pens and coffee mugs before," Johnson said.
"It's a bit draconian. But the onus is on us now to do a better job of explaining the job and the importance of marketing representatives. Unfortunately there are a lot of cynics in America who want to think the worst."
SDMC's effort was motivated by a desire to show patients that its 450 doctors were serious about keeping prescription drug costs down and making unbiased medical decisions, Irons said.
Marcia Hams, assistant director of the project, said she too hadn't heard of a roundup like SDMC's, but hopes other health organizations follow its lead.
"This seems like a pretty aggressive way to kick off a policy like that," she said. "It sends an important message, I think, for how a strict policy can be implemented in an effective way."
Kaiser Permanente, the country's largest HMO, Veterans Affairs hospitals and medical centers at several universities have recently adopted strict conflict-of-interest policies, such as gift bans, Hams said.
Many of SMDC's items will be going to the health system of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon, which has three hospitals, and several rural health centers.
Irons said there shouldn't be a conflict of interest in Cameroon because the advertised drugs aren't available there.
Source-Medindia
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