On February 1, 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the release of the final regulations implementing the Transparency Reports and Reporting of Physician Ownership or Investment Interests section of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as the "Sunshine Act." The final rule was published in the Federal Register, and will become effective on April 9, 2013.
The Sunshine Act requires applicable manufacturers of covered drugs, devices, biological products, and medical supplies to report annually certain information regarding payments and other transfers of value to physicians and teaching hospitals. An additional provision requires applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) to report all ownership and investment interests held by physicians or members of their families. As set forth in the final regulations, applicable manufacturers and GPOs must begin data collection on August 1, 2013, and must file their first reports on March 31, 2014.
In addition to releasing the final regulations, CMS also released a Fact Sheet providing, among other things, a summary of the reporting requirements, the implementation timeline, and information regarding research payments. In response to CMS’ release of the final regulations, Senator Charles Grassley, co-author of the Sunshine Act, made the following statement:
“Disclosure brings about accountability, and accountability will strengthen the credibility of medical research, the marketing of ideas and, ultimately, the practice of medicine. The lack of transparency regarding payments made by the pharmaceutical and medical device community to physicians has created a culture that this law should begin to change substantially. The reform represented by the Grassley-Kohl Sunshine Law is in patients’ best interests. I will stay vigilant about how this law is implemented, especially after the delays seen already. The goal is straightforward, and CMS needs to make certain the reporting and disclosure are complete and clear.”
For additional information on the Sunshine Act and to view a copy of the final regulations as released by CMS on February 1, 2013, please see visit the Federal Register website.
Don't forget to check out our other posts regarding the Sunshine Act Final Regulations:
The Who and the What of the Sunshine Act Regulations;
Sunshine Act: Reporting Food, CME, and Research...Oh My!; and
Sunshine Act: Indirect Payment: Reportable or Excluded?
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