Cleveland Clinic Begins Public Disclosure Of Physician-Industry Relationships

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry;  Public Health
Article Date: 04 Dec 2008 - 3:00 PST

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Cleveland Clinic this week began publishing on its Web site complete disclosures of physicians' and researchers' business relationships and financial ties, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, "It appears to be the first such step by a major medical center to disclose the industry relationships of individual doctors" and comes "as the nation's doctors and hospitals are under mounting pressure to address potential conflicts of interests" with drug and device companies.

The clinic has established the 16-member Innovation Management and Conflict of Interest Committee -- which meets monthly and consists of clinic board members, lawyers, physicians and scientists -- to monitor the initiative. All physicians and scientists employed by the medical research center must report any industry or business relationship to the clinic at least once per year. Committee members typically interview the physician involved and often require documentation of the financial tie, such as letters to academic journals alerting editors to the industry relationship.

Data such as physician consultation fees exceeding $5,000 per year and all royalty and equity interests will be published online as part of the disclosure initiative. Cleveland Clinic officials say that less than 25% of its staff has industry ties that require disclosure.

Guy Chisholm, a cell biologist and chair of the conflict of interest committee, said the information about the ties needs to be made available to patients so they can discuss potential conflicts of interest with the right people if they have any concerns. "Disclosure is a minimum," he said, adding that he hopes to release actual figures, such as the dollar amounts of the consultation fees, in 2009.

The clinic in recent years has conducted comprehensive reviews of its conflict of interest policies and developed formal oversight systems, including the creation of the committee, to address issues of business relationships involving its staff, the Times reports. In a statement about the clinic's new initiative, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said, "Patients deserve easy access to information about their doctors' relationships with drug companies and the Cleveland Clinic is making that possible." Grassley has co-sponsored legislation (HR 5605, S 2029) that addresses conflict of interest issues and requires disclosure of all financial ties between medical researchers, institutions and drug and device manufacturers (Abelson, New York Times, 12/3).

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