PPAI Legislative Action Watch: Keep Up With Your State's Legislation


How often do you multi-task?
All the time, it's the only way I get things done. Sometimes, I try not to but sometimes I can't help it. Never, I just can't do more than one thing at a time.

Article Tools: Print

| Email

| Add Comment

Share |

PPAI Legislative Action Watch: Keep Up With Your State's Legislation

Issue: 2009mar

Several state legislatures are reviewing bills that either inhibit or ban the distribution of promotional products in the healthcare industry.

Among them are Connecticut, whose bill S. 1049 calls for the prohibition of tangible items of any value given to healthcare providers, and New York, whose Senate budget bill (S-58/A-158) requires strict reporting requirements on all transfers of value between healthcare providers and drug and device manufacturers who participate in state health programs.

If this issue is of concern to you and your state is one of many that are debating similar legislation, PPAI offers tools to help you share your opinions with your senators and representatives. PPAI has issued action alerts and provided form letters for bills in Connecticut, Iowa, Ohio and New York.

Connecticut
Connecticut state Senator Edith G. Prague introduced a bill that would prohibit pharmaceutical and medical device firms from offering tangible items of any value to healthcare providers.
While there have often been discussions on banning pharmaceutical gifts that are not relevant to patient treatment or office operations, the wording on this legislation calls for an outright ban of anything of any value.

If you wish to share your thoughts on this, send this form letter to your legislator.

You can access a list of Connecticut lawmakers by clicking here.

Iowa
Earlier this month, Iowa state Senator Jack Hatch introduced a bill that would prohibit pharmaceutical and medical device firms that participate in state health programs from offering any gifts to healthcare practitioners. Now called Iowa S 389, this bill has passed in the Iowa Senate and is now before the Iowa House of Representatives. It is critical that you contact your representatives and let them know that you oppose this bill.
While there have often been discussions on banning pharmaceutical gifts that are not relevant to patient treatment or office operations, the wording on this legislation calls for an outright ban of anything of any value.

If you wish to share your thoughts on this, send this form letter to your legislator.

New York
New York Governor Patterson has introduced a budget bill, NY S 58, which requires strict reporting requirements on all transfers of value between healthcare providers and drug and device manufacturers who participate in state health programs.

Under the terms of this budget bill, healthcare providers who participate in state health programs, and members of their immediate family, may not be given any item or items with an aggregated fair market value in excess of $50 during one calendar year. Additionally, both healthcare providers and the drug and device manufacturers must disclose nature and fair market value of those items or benefits. Failure to comply with this proposed law will result in civil penalties.

While this is not an outright ban on the distribution of promotional products to the medical community in New York, the low annual aggregate limit, combined with the rigid reporting
requirements, may encourage some drug and device manufacturers to stop distributingpromotional products entirely.

If you want to share your thoughts on the issue, use this form letter.

A list of state legislators can be found here.

Comments (1)

4/9/2009
Dave Wasserman (diwvisual@comcast.net)
company: DIW VISUAL MERCHANDISERS
title: PRES.
"What about South Florida. Every day, when calling on doctors, we find that ther is a Medical Rep in an office. Thet are frustrated and the reps do NOT know what is going on. How caqn we help?"

* Name:
* Email:
Company:
* Title:
* Comments: