Transparency and the healthcare industry: The Sun is shining

AbstractThe demand for greater transparency in financial relationships between the healthcare industry and healthcare professionals is increasing globally, and has led to establishing government regulations and professional guidelines for detailed reporting and public disclosure of these relationships. In the US, under the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, the government requires an annual report on payments and transfers of value made by healthcare product manufacturers to physicians and teaching hospitals. The implementation rules for this act were announced in February 2013, with data collection beginning on 1 August 2013. The first reports are due to the US government by March 2014, and public disclosure of the data will begin in September 2014. Concerns are growing within the healthcare industry regarding these new transparency requirements, and the likely unintended consequences, such as reduced participation of physicians in industry-sponsored clinical trials and delays in publication of clinical tri...