opinion
Reform law goes after gifts to doctors, but others are exempt
Posted June 14, 2010
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires drugmakers, device manufacturers and other medical suppliers to report annually any "payment or transfer of value." Admirable, except for the carve-outs left unstated: politicians, journalists, media ad sellers, unions, nongovernmental organizations, insurance companies, lobbyists, etc.
Just physicians, researchers and teaching hospitals? This is obviously politician grandstanding, not serious patient protection or cost control.
David Laurentz, MD, Lubbock, Texas
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/06/14/edlt0614.htm.












