Help Available for Sponsorship, Conflict-of-Interest Issues
Media and congressional attention has greatly increased focus on physician and researcher relationships with industry, and potential or perceived conflicts of interest. BWH Billing Compliance continues to receive many questions about educational programs that involve or are sponsored by vendors and pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers.
Definitive answers for what industry can provide for such programs are frequently determined by the proposed program’s specifics, but there are some guidelines to keep in mind when you are thinking about educational programs involving industry representatives and sponsorship.
While in some cases it is appropriate for sponsors to provide food to conference attendees, such meals can only be accepted in connection with the educational program, and not as a bonus or “freebie.” Even then, meals provided by industry sponsors at an on-campus educational program must be modest, no more than $20 per person or $5,000 in the aggregate.
If you are asked by a company to give an educational presentation at a conference or seminar by a pharmaceutical or medical device company, or a Partners/BWH vendor, Partners and BWH policies also require you to have written agreements reviewed by Corporate Sponsored Research and Licensing before the activities begin.
The policies that drive how BWH handle these types of interactions are on PikeNotes.
For help with any questions relating to educational conferences sponsored by industry or with any other issue concerning Conflicts of Interest, contact the BWH Compliance Office at jbryant3@partners.org and 617.582.0090 or the PHS Outside Activity counsel at lgamel@partners.org and 617.643.3728.