It's about time

In response to the New York Times article by Gardiner Harris (8/4/07) about US Senator Grassley calling for a registry of payments to physicians from pharmaceutical companies – although years overdue, it is warmly welcomed and will hopefully be supported by all of colleagues in the House and Senate.

The American health care industry is wrought with fraud and abuse, with the pharmaceutical industry arguably being the poster-child. Taking a quick look at the major fraud cases pursuant to the 1986 False Claims Act, of the top 20 since 2000, 19 have been in health care – twelve in the pharmaceutical industry. The total amount of settlements for the nineteen was approximately $7,500,000,000. That’s billion! The sad note here is word “settlement”. Is going to jail? The makers of Oxycontin just settled for something in the range of $634,000,0000 with the CEO, attorney and former medical director receiving probation and community service. (Google Oyxcontin deaths for additional information.) And, who negotiated the settlement? Rudy Giuliani.

Pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, hospitals, physicians and other providers making clinical decisions based on income as opposed to sound medical care is all too prevalent. Senator Grassley’s proposal is the tip of the iceberg of where this country must go to reduce the billions of dollars (Who knows the real number?) in health care fraud and abuse and the deleterious impact on the safety of the American health care consumer.