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Vanderbilt University School of Medicine | |
| City: Nashville | State: TN | |
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Commentary: Most of the scorecard domains are addressed by Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in a clear, thorough and logical way that attempts to minimize conflicts of interest both for physicians-in-training and those contributing to the University's clinical, faculty, and research expertise. However, Vanderbilt could improve upon its score by streamlining its policies and by establishing a party for oversight.
This institution's evaluation was last updated: 8/16/2009 |
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| Gifts & Meals |  |
Personnel may not accept any gifts, regardless of nature or value, or any meals, off or on-site, funded directly by industry. Admirably, the institution bans branded items of clothing and branded items carried on the person |
| Consulting relationships |  |
Consulting relationships between Vanderbilt Medical Center faculty and industry are required to be described in a formal contract, which must receive prior approval by the medical center department chair only if payment exceeds $10,000/year. Payment must be commensurate with time and effort for specific services rendered. Vanderbilt University faculty must submit agreements for institutional review prior to engaging in outside activities that have the appearance of creating conflicts of interest. However, as defined in the policy, business relationships with companies where the individual is not in a position to influence a University relationship with that company are not generally considered conflicts. Therefore it seems that consulting arrangements meeting the above exception would not be subject to prior review. |
| Industry-funded speaking relationships | |
Very strong. In order to engage in a speaking activity, the lecturer must ensure that industry has no approval or say in content, selection of topic, or speaker, and that his or her relationship to the company be disclosed in advance. Vanderbilt medical center policies also state that VUMC personnel may not be paid speakers by MECCs that work solely for industry, must be responsible for their content, ensure it is balanced, and may not promote off-label uses when paid by industry |
| Disclosure | |
All personnel are required to internally disclose situations or relationships that create or have the appearance of creating a conflict of interest upon initial employment and every year thereafter. |
| Pharmaceutical samples | |
Samples are not allowed to be distributed directly in any way to a practitioner on-site. Off-site satellite clinics are not subject to these sample restrictions. |
| Purchasing & Formularies | |
Members of the University community may not review or approve contracts or business relationships when that member has a financial interest with the company involved. |
| Industry Sales Representatives | |
Vendors are permitted access via advance appointments, but prohibited from visiting students or accessing patient areas. An Electronic Marketing Plan is used to manage appointments. |
| On-campus Education | |
This domain assesses institutional controls on industry financial support of on-site educational events, and on industry’s ability to influence presentation content or speaker selection. In addition to compliance with ACCME standards for both accredited and unaccredited programs, this institution states that all agreements of grants supporting educational events at the School of Medicine must receive prior approval from the Division of Continuing Medical Education. The institution does not require that industry support of CME be pooled at the institutional (not departmental) level – an element required for highest marks in this domain. |
| Attendance at Industry-Sponsored Lectures & Meetings Off-Campus | |
Model language: "personnel may not accept compensation from industry, including the defraying of costs, for simply attending a CME or other activity." |
| Industry Support for Scholarships & Funds for Trainees | |
This policy effectively prevents industry from selecting the award recipient of scholarships and funds. |
| Medical school curriculum | |
The provided curricular material clearly seeks to educate students on the intent and impact of the pharmaceutical industry upon physicians. It also summarizes and references key Vanderbilt conflict of interest policies in a clear manner. |
| Do the policies specify an oversight mechanism? |  |
An office for oversight is clearly established. |
| Are there explicit sanctions for noncompliance? | |
Though no party for oversight or compliance of policies is mentioned, infractions may result in educational or disciplinary action. |
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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) |
