We’ve been wondering when we’d see our first swag-free doctor’s office. A trip to Massachusetts may soon do the trick. The president of the state’s senate is proposing a ban on all drug industry freebies for docs — from travel to pens, the Boston Globe reports.
A bill filed yesterday by Democrat Therese Murray would also require the state’s doctors to adopt electronic medical records by 2015, to be funded at least in part by cigarette taxes. The bill would also force public reviews of any insurance company that wanted to raise premiums by more than 7%. Drug reps would still be allowed to give doctors free drug samples for use by patients.
Murray argues that drug industry gifts drive up health care costs by persuading some docs to prescribe more expensive, branded drugs. An official with the industry group PhRMA, which opposes the ban, told the Globe that she was “not aware of any kind of evidence or studies that link promotional or marketing materials with the cost of healthcare.”
Skepticism of drug industry promotion has been rising lately. Some medical centers have banned drug rep trinkets. Minnesota has capped drug industry gifts at $50. But if Murray’s bill goes through, Massachusetts would be the first state to ban the gifts outright, the Globe reports. ...
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