AMSA Expanding Anti-Industry Scorecard to 400 Teaching Hospitals

We recently reported on a survey of 1,610 first- and third-year medical students and 739 residents regarding conflict of interest (COI) policies and their interactions with industry.  In our story, we noted that almost every year, the American Medical Students Association (AMSA) publishes a yearly “PharmFree Scorecard” that evaluates the COI policies at American medical schools.  Here is a little background and history on AMSA. The PharmFree Scorecard is funded through the Consumer and Prescriber Education grant program, which resulted from the Neurontin settlement back in 2004. It is because of organizations like PharmFree that frame all physician-industry collaboration as negative or unethical, that patients, physicians and biopharmaceutical professionals need a voice in the “conflict of interest mania,” such as the recently launched Partners for a Health Dialogue.   Interestingly, while we cited to the 2012 results, AMSA just released its 2013 Scorecard, the sixth iteration of the scorecard.  The release comes as AMSA hosts its National PharmFree Week April 8-12, 2013.  The annual event “highlights the importance of putting patients first by addressing conflicts of interest and encouraging evidence rather than marketing-based education.”  Below is a summary of this year’s findings as well as additional information about AMSA activities.  Interestingly, AMSA and Pew announced with this year’s data that they were also charged through a grant fro...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs