Medical Consumer: Governor Paterson proposes Important health care bill
Drug companies corrupt our medical care system in the United StatesThe Independent Online reports:
The first bill, Assembly 11187, would considerably restrict the pharmaceutical industry’s ability to shower doctors and doctors-to-be with gifts ranging from free lunches to free travel. Gift giving has a corrupting influence on the choices doctors make in their prescribing practices, with numerous studies demonstrating that gifts to prescribers influence what they prescribe, often to the detriment of patient safety. Curbing gifts to prescribers has become a focus of those concerned with both improving the quality of care and with controlling the cost of prescription drugs.
Many medical schools, hospitals and clinics have taken steps to ban some drug industry freebies within their confines. Growing numbers of academic medical centers now forbid the acceptance of any gifts from or promotional contact with industry salespeople by residents and other staff. Drug promotion giveaways have also been the focus of attention in Congress and in many state legislatures, with a few states passing restrictive legislation over the past few years. Now, after several years of false starts New York finally has an opportunity to improve the quality of doctors and others who prescribe as well as hold down inflation in health care costs.
Hopefully this bill will have a dramatic role increasing in curbing subtle corruption and quality health care across New York State.