Health Blog : State Medical Society Policy Bans All Gifts From Drug Companies
Physicians shall accept no gifts from any provider of products that they prescribe to their patients,” the Wisconsin Medical Society recently decreed.
The policy even spells out specific bans on some of the common gifts docs get from drug companies: “personal items, office supplies, food, travel and time costs,” as well as payment for online continuing medical education (CME) courses. It also says doctors shouldn’t be paid to give speeches on behalf of drug companies.
The drug industry itself has banned giveaways of office trinkets and restaurant meals. And we’ve heard of a few med schools and hospitals coming up with this kind of policy, but never a group as big as this.
The society claims over 12,000 members, well over half the practicing docs in the state, according to George Lange, who chairs the medical society’s board. (Of course, unlike a hospital or med school, a state medical society can’t really enforce such a policy among its members.)
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