HCCA 2015: Physician Payments Sunshine Act

Posted on
April 29, 2015

This is an element of ACA and is in it's first years of publication and use.

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Moderated by Robert S. Brown, Compliance Manager, UW Medicine; Jodie R. Caplan, Senior Compliance Consultant, Carilion Clinic; Ryan Hulslander, Associate General Counsel, Cochlear Americas
April 19, 2015

Though MD Ranger data doesn't report the types of payments covered under the Sunshine Act, we were nevertheless curious to attend this session and learn about this new mandated reporting for physician payments. This is an element of ACA and is in it's first years of publication and use.

The moderators began by stating that obligations change our brain chemistry by citing neurological studies proving that conflicts of interest matter because they affect behavior.

This act is intended to promote transparency. No assumptions or conclusions about the data itself; people can review and make own decisions. However, presenting information without context can be problematic because a payment doesn't necessarily mean it is inappropriate; ie, it's not proof that payments are inappropriate or kickbacks. Most are probably justifiable payments. The payments in and of themselves should not suggest there's necessarily a conflict of interest.

Contributing physician payment data are GPO's and manufacturers of drugs, devices, supplies, etc. Items that are reported are anything of value, and could be cash, stock, LLC, partnership shares, loans, bonds, etc.

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