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Washington University School of Medicine | |
| City: St. Louis | State: MO | |
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Links:
Commentary:Pharmaceutical_Medical_Device_Industry_Policy.pdf Policy_on_Conflicts_of_Interest_in_Clinical_Care.pdf This institution has a strong policy in the areas of gifts, consulting, and on- and off-site education. Consulting relationships are made with a formal contract; Speaking relationships may only last five years with speakers having control of the content and disclosure of financial conflicts of interest is required to patients. The school has not provided any evidence that the medical school curriculum covers conflicts of interest arising from financial relationships with the pharmaceutical industry in a meaningful way. This institution submitted updated policies to the 2010 AMSA PharmFree Scorecard, their score remains a B.
This institution's evaluation was last updated: 01/22/2011 |
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| Gifts & Meals |  |
Industry-sponsored food or catered meals, free goods and services are prohibited in any part of the premises, including educational conference venues except by unrestricted grants from departments. |
| Consulting relationships |  |
"Collaborations are performed pursuant to a written agreement or memorandum that is established in advance with a description of the expected deliverables." Such relationships should be carefully scrutinized to avoid inducement, whether real or perceived. |
| Industry-funded speaking relationships | |
"Individual relationships with industry for educational lectures must be for a finite term not to exceed five years." Payment for extramural lectures can only be made by using unrestricted grants made only to central department funds. Content of the presentation are under the control of the medical center. |
| Disclosure | |
Physicians or health professionals are required to disclose financial relationships to patients when conflicts of interest arise. Earning from outside relationships over $10,000, including equity is published on the Faculty Practice Plan website, and is updated to the most recent 12 months of reimbursement. |
| Pharmaceutical samples | |
The policy requires that samples be received by the clinical manager and stored in a secure location. Samples may only be dispensed in very specific situations, for example, if the use of a sample would help in determining the most appropriate prescription. No specific program is in place through which patients are selected and samples dispensed. The decision to provide samples to a patient is at the discretion of the treating physician and the approval of the department chair. There is no indication in the policy that genric drugs are the preferred drug prescribed compared to branded ones. |
| Purchasing & Formularies | |
Faculty and staff members involved in purchasing decisions committees must disclose their financial conflicts of interest and may serve on committees but must recuse themselves from purchasing decisions. |
| Industry Sales Representatives | |
"Vendor reps are allowed on medical center premises only by appointment..." |
| On-campus Education | |
This policy requires that unrestricted funds from Industry are accepted to a "central fund". However, approval for acceptance may be obtained at the departmental level. Since the department still has control over the decision whether a fund may be accepted or not, true authority is not at an institutional level. There is no mention of an overarching CME authority. |
| Attendance at Industry-Sponsored Lectures & Meetings Off-Campus | |
The receipt of gifts (which includes travel, accommodation, and other items of value without a legitimate service) is not acceptable. Unrestricted funds may be approved by the department, program or division. |
| Industry Support for Scholarships & Funds for Trainees | |
Unrestricted educational grants may be accepted at the departmental, division or program level so long as it is not directed to an individual physician or health professional. |
| Medical school curriculum |  |
No policy, or policy not provided. |
| Do the policies specify an oversight mechanism? |  |
Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs in consultation with Dean, Office of Executive Vice Chancellor, and General Counsel will determine the threshold for management of potential conflicts of interest. |
| Are there explicit sanctions for noncompliance? | |
Remedial actions for unresolved conflict of interest is outlined and is executable after thirty days. |
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 | Model policy |
 | Good progress toward model policy |
 | No policy, or policy unlikely to have a substantial effect on behavior |
 | Did not report |
 | Policy not relevant to this institution (e.g., does not make purchasing decisions) |
