The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) joined with the AMA and numerous other state medical societies and specialty groups to support passage of a bill that would exempt medical textbooks and journals, as well as indirect payments that pharmaceutical and device manufacturers offer to CME providers, from Sunshine Act reporting requirements. Recently, the NCMS along with the other supporters sent a letter to the co-sponsor of the bipartisan bill (HR 5539), US Representative Michael Burgess, MD (R-TX), praising his leadership on this matter.
“The Institute of Medicine and other major stakeholders have repeatedly expressed concern with the length of time required for clinically validated discovery to become part of regular clinical practice,” the letter stated. “The Sunshine Act was not passed to limit or construct additional barriers to the dissemination of new medical knowledge that improves patient health outcomes. H.R. 5539 is needed to ensure patients benefit from the most up-to-date and relevant medical knowledge.”
The bill would clarify that certain applicable manufacturer transfers of value to support independent medical educational programs and materials are exempt from reporting under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (Sunshine Act). H.R. 5539 would ensure that efforts to promote transparency do not undermine efforts to provide the most up-to-date independent medical knowledge, which improves the quality of care patients receive through timely dissemination of medical knowledge.
