Bill Extends Sunshine Act to NPs and PAs
Posted almost 10 years ago by Nicholas M Perrino
"Physicians are not the only clinicians who receive lunches, speaking fees, and textbooks from drug and device makers.
By virtue of their ability to prescribe medicine and order other treatments for patients, physician assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), and other kinds of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) also receive cash and in-kind payments from industry.
That is why two US senators introduced legislation on October 7 to bring these clinicians under the Sunshine Act, a section of the Affordable Care Act that requires drug and device makers to tell the government what they give physicians. The idea is to discourage conflicts of interest that could cause a physician to favor treatments that are not the best for the patient's health or pocketbook. Advocates of transparency in the relationship between clinicians and industry have called the omission of NPs and PAs a significant loophole in the law.
The bill amending the Sunshine Act to include PAs, NPs, and other kinds of APRNs is sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)."