Medtronic to disclose gifts to healthcare groups

Perhaps going with the prevailing winds--which definitely favor disclosing gifts to healthcare players before the state makes you do it--medical devicemaker Medtronic has decided to voluntarily disclose the financial support it offers to various healthcare groups, including professional organizations, healthcare-advocacy groups, medical schools and hospitals. Each quarter, Medtronic will disclose how it supports various activities conducted by the groups, including continuing medical education events, consumer education, hospital grand rounds presentations and scholarships.

The move already has its critics, who say that Medtronic's approach to disclosure doesn't do enough to explain how their financial gifts are used. For example, Medtronic funded CME seminars held by the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, orthopedic grand rounds at Baylor College of Medicine and cardiology grand rounds at Boston Medical Center. These critics would like to know if, for example, the gifts were used to fly in a company speaker to pitch at a given event.

To learn more about this new policy:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece

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