FEDERAL | ASPS Supports Common Sense Reforms to the Sunshine Act

Congress never intended to include educational materials in Physician Payments Sunshine Act ("Sunshine Act") reporting. The law was enacted with the goal of promoting transparency surrounding transfers of financial value between physicians and the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, and the law actually includes exclusions from its reporting requirements for educational materials that are directly used by or benefit patients. Unfortunately, though, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services misconstrued the intent of this law and required reporting of medical textbooks, peer-reviewed journals, journal reprints, journal supplements and independent continuing medical education (CME).

ASPS has been working with Congress on correcting this mistake with the goal of supporting physician education and not placing a cooling effect on existing, effective pathways for disseminating the latest and best in clinical knowledge. ASPS has contacted Senator Barrasso with its support of his bill, and thanked him for his commitment to improving physician education. ASPS will continue to work for common sense reforms that support physician education and better the practice of plastic surgery.

ASPS's Comments on the Protect Continuing Physician Education and Patient Care Act