Thursday, December 10, 2009

Finally some Government Sanity IowaPolitics.com Reports-Grassley Works for Disclosure of Drug Company Payments to Medical Groups Regardin Teen Screen

Senator Grassley has asked 33 medical groups for information about the financial backing they get from the pharmaceutical, medical device and insurance industries.

“These organizations have a lot of influence over public policy, and people rely on their leadership. There’s a strong case for disclosure and the accountability that results,” Grassley said.

Grassley said his inquiry follows a review of industry support for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, where he questioned the organization’s national office and state chapters. The Alliance subsequently adopted a new policy of publicly releasing industry support over $5,000. “It’d be good for the system if other organizations would follow NAMI’s lead in this area,” Grassley said.

For several years, Grassley has conducted extensive oversight and sought disclosure of financial ties with industry from research physicians, medical schools, medical journals, continuing medical education, and the patient advocacy community. He has worked to expose cases where there was vast disparity between drug-company payments received and reported by leading medical researchers. In response to Grassley’s work, the National Institutes of Health is working on new disclosure guidelines for federal grant recipients.

Grassley is also working for congressional passage of reform legislation he has sponsored with Senator Herb Kohl. Their bipartisan Physician Payments Sunshine Act would require annual public reporting by drug, device and biologic manufacturers of payments made to physicians nationwide.

“I’m interested in transparency,” Grassley said. “Letting the sun shine in and making information public is basic to building people’s confidence in medical research, education and the practice of medicine,” Grassley said.

This week, t he senator’s letters of inquiry were sent to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Surgeons, the American Dental Association, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association, the American Heart Association, the American Hospital Association Inc., the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the American Society of Health–System Pharmacists, the American Society of Hypertension, Inc., the American Society of Nephrology, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, the Heart Rhythm Society, Mental Health America, NARSAD, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Organization for Rare Disorders, the North American Spine Society, Screening for Mental Health Inc., the National Center for Mental Checkups at Columbia University (TeenScreen), The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the American Cancer Society.

See here for the text of Sen. Grassley’s letter: http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=179090

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Florida Psychiatrist Loses License for Having Sex With His Patient

The Florida State Prison's former psychiatrist Emanuel John Falcone loses his medical license after having sex with a mentally ill patient in New York State. The former Dr. Falcone had supporters at the hearing, but the board unanimously voted to revoke his license. His license was revoked earlier in New York for having sex with the patient, but was hired by Florida Prisons at a salary of $188k even though he admitted to his interviewer of the New York case. His supporters spoke on his behalf that he should be able to practice seeing male patients only in a prison environment, and that his crime was not attributed to his BiPolar disorder. Apparently, this psychiatrist felt he could commit the offense in one State and then pick up and restart his practice in another.

Falcone told the New York bureau of prisons he never considered his interactions with the woman to be treatment or therapy. But the panel rejected that argument in permanently revoking his license in September 2008 for professional misconduct, gross and repeated incompetence and negligence and failing to maintain medical records. The
The Panel wrote: “He was too selfishly motivated and lost sight of his oath,” the panel said. “We saw no remorse, no humility, no sign that he understood the great harm that he caused despite his attempt to present a speech that was supposed to convince us otherwise.” The bureau found his actions toward the patient “predatory” and said he knew her illness left her vulnerable. “He eventually exploited that vulnerability for his own purpose and satisfaction.”

Here is a link to the Youtube Video of the Florida hearing from FloridaPsychNews: http://tinyurl.com/licenserevoked