MA transparency model
June 24, 2013
ALL payments to health
professionals over a nominal value
will be reported in detail, under
a new model revealed on Fri by
Medicines Australia’s Transparency
Working Group.
Established last Aug, the group
was created “to develop measures
and policies that will further
enhance transparency of payments
and other transfers of value
between healthcare professionals
and the pharmaceutical industry”.
It followed the ACCC ratification
of the most recent version of
the Medicines Australia Code of
Conduct, which was approved late
last year (PD 20 Dec) for a two year
period, during which MA was asked
to improve transparency.
MA ceo Brendan Shaw said the
release of the new model for
consultation was a key milestone
in the process established by the
organisation to provide greater
transparency to the important
relationships between the industry
and healthcare professionals.
Under the proposal, all payments
will reveal the name, location and
AHPRA registration number of the
healthcare professional recipient,
as well as the amount and form of
the payment, with a threshold as
low as $10 for recording payments,
and reporting of annual cumulative
amounts above $100.
The consultation will feed into a
review of the Medicines Australia
Code of Conduct which is set down
to commence next month.
MA will call for submissions,
and a series of forums is also
planned to allow stakeholders to
come together and discuss the
transparency model.
Shaw said that MA members
overwhelmingly support greater
transparency, “because it builds
public trust and confidence.
“Engagement with doctors is
important and legitimate because
patients want to be sure that
their doctors know how to use
the medicines they’re being
prescribed,” he said.
He thanked the working group
for their involvement in developing
the new model, including chair
Dr Dominic Barnes of Shire, Geoff
McDonald from GSK and James
Jones of Takeda.
The transparency model is similar
to the US Physicians Payments
Sunshine Act.
Full details of the working group
and transparency principles can be
viewed online by CLICKING HERE.
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