The New York Times last week had an excellent front-page story on another troubling area of conflict of interest in health care and medical research.
Read the story to learn more about tax-exempt "charities" that, according to the Times, "are typically set up to engage in medical research or education, and the doctors involved defend those efforts as legitimate charitable activities that benefit the public. But because they operate mainly under the radar, the tax-exempt organizations represent what some other doctors, as well as regulators and industry consultants, say is a growing conduit for industry money. The payments, they say, can bias the treatment decisions of physicians, may lead to suspect research findings and at times may even risk running afoul of anti-kickback laws."
Posted by schwitz at July 5, 2006 07:18 AM | TrackBack