A Fierce Fight Over Free Lunches For Physicians

Your doctor just put you on a new medication - the latest, cutting edge drug, he says.

[VtSon]

The institute recommended, among other things, eliminating all gifts from the industry to doctors and having Congress create a national reporting program to require all pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech companies to make public all payments to doctors and medical groups.

Just another creation of more gov't red tape and employment for "friends of" to waste more taxpayer dollars over a few pens and coffee cups if allowed to create a national reporting agency.

[what about]

what about the gift certificates given to peditricians for whomever sells the most Ritalin ina group practice. As an ex drug rep I was trained to teach docs to call it "homework helper" and gave gift certificates to exclusive golf resorts, high end stores, expensive dinners, even an adult strip club in New Haven to whichever pediatrician in a group practice sold the most Ritalin in a given quarter. Since the company I worked for laid me off for blooking too old I figure why not rat them out?

[coax]

>>"It's preposterous that a physician would advise against his best professional judgment because of a free sandwich," said Paul Pescatello, president and CEO of Connecticut United for Research Excellence, a trade group for the state's bio-pharmaceutical and life science companies<<<

Famous last words. You should have that engraved on your tombstone.

[shartflhs]

I have a friend that is an office manager for a doctor's offfice. She is always telling me about the exclusive restaurants and events that the drug companies are taking the doctors and staff out to. It sounds like it almost a weekly deal.

[bebe]

what about wrote:

what about the gift certificates given to peditricians for whomever sells the most Ritalin ina group practice. As an ex drug rep I was trained to teach docs to call it "homework helper" and gave gift certificates to exclusive golf resorts, high end stores, expensive dinners, even an adult strip club in New Haven to whichever pediatrician in a group practice sold the most Ritalin in a given quarter. Since the company I worked for laid me off for blooking too old I figure why not rat them out?

Blooking too old???

[Jim]

Apparently what about, you are not familiar how business is created and jobs kept.

Also What about, you must not have had good parents because no one likes a rat. You must have been the type of kid who would always ran and told on the other kids.

Back to business, when I take a client out to say the golf course most of the time it gives me more face time. What Bout, let me explain what that is. face time gives me more time to explain my products and there benefits to their business.

When I make a sale it means that I am able to either keep or even hire more people.

What does that do for all of you? More employees more taxes paid to the state of Connecticut. More employee means more people to purchase items at the various stores. That means the more items purchased the more jobs at that store. The items need to be manufactured. Examples, homes, appliances, cars etc.
With out this happening then we have a recession and we have people like yourself out of work.

By the way, I have sales people working for me and age never comes into it. What comes into it is production. If you are selling and meeting your goals I don't care if you are 90. Most companies work that way produce and you have a job. if you don't your gone.

To often in this country instead of looking at what we could have done differently it is to easy to blame others for our short comings

As for a Ritalin, the greatest pusher of this drug were and still are the teachers and their Unions. Ritalin became the easy way to control kids.

[Hove]

How hypocritical of these lawmakers. It’s ok for special interests and lobbyists to wine and dine them, hire their children and appoint their unqualified wives to corporate boards. They should be ashamed of themselves.

[Bubba]

Hove wrote:

How hypocritical of these lawmakers. It’s ok for special interests and lobbyists to wine and dine them, hire their children and appoint their unqualified wives to corporate boards. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Exactly !!!!!

[emilio]

This is crazy are they trying to buy there bussiness or there sales no

[Michael Rubino]

In the hospital setting, there are many other health care providers who either prescribe or influence prescribing. At Hartford Hospital our policy of prohibiting vendors from providing meals at no charge, with or without education, extends to everyone: physicians, pharmacists APRNs, PAs, nurses and other licensed independent practitioners. In most cases it is not the physicians requesting meals at no charge, it is all the others.

[Tammy]

Do they have nothing better to do or work on in the capitol? I think we have more important issues than the government again dictating what we can or cn do do or receive. What is this going to do for us?? Nothing! Hove said it perfectly. Hypocrits.

[SWHosley]

Perhaps the Connecticut Legislature could hold the Doctors to the same rigid ethical standards that the Legislature holds itself to!

Who do you think would be more influenced by a free dinner or a round of golf, Your Doctor, or your State Representitive or State Senator?

[EEC]

The opening statement couldn't be further from the truth. 99% of the doctors never even eat the lunch. They either have no time or are so health conscious that they wouldn't eat the rich foods brought in by the drug reps. The free lunch goes to the staff of the doctor's office. If the doctor choses to push the drug it is because he or she either believes in the drug, or the drug rep was a good sales person.

The intended sensationalism in the lead statement shows that the reporter doesn't even know what happens on a daily basis in a doctor's office. Not only that the reporter didn't try to find out.

[Larry Rucker]

This is an exceptionally complicated problem - the legislature may be thinking 'ideally' but the reality is that real education does take place at pharma sponsored programs - in fact, if this funding 'goes away', only local and less knowledgeable MDs will be teaching each other - one might think this is an effective solution - but the reality is that busy practitioners will not attend these internal daytime meetings and the level of expertise by the clinical educator will decline. It has already happened in many of the States that have imposed this sort of legislation.
Maybe we will start having the lawyers and legislators give brown bag lectures rather than the true medical experts. Then, maybe doctors can start writing their legal briefs ?

[EEC]

what about wrote:

what about the gift certificates given to peditricians for whomever sells the most Ritalin ina group practice. As an ex drug rep I was trained to teach docs to call it "homework helper" and gave gift certificates to exclusive golf resorts, high end stores, expensive dinners, even an adult strip club in New Haven to whichever pediatrician in a group practice sold the most Ritalin in a given quarter. Since the company I worked for laid me off for blooking too old I figure why not rat them out?

With your attitude there are probably many more reasons you are an ex-drug rep.

[Newspaper Junkie]

Nice going, slow pokes. This has been a practice, like, FOREVER, and most of the big companies - including Pfizer - are stopping this and the handing out of swag on their own. This newpaper is pathetic; you position this like some kind of big scoop, but the industry's already past it. Wow, chalk up another one for investigative journalism. Which, by the way, you might actually be able to do if you still had any real reporters as opposed to "new media content editors". You are dying because you have gutted yourself.

[Bill]

Seems like "what about" has hit a nerve with you. Me thinks you protest too much.
And please stop with the ratting part. You sound like a idiot from some gang

Jim wrote:

Apparently what about, you are not familiar how business is created and jobs kept.
Also What about, you must not have had good parents because no one likes a rat. You must have been the type of kid who would always ran and told on the other kids.
Back to business, when I take a client out to say the golf course most of the time it gives me more face time. What Bout, let me explain what that is. face time gives me more time to explain my products and there benefits to their business.
When I make a sale it means that I am able to either keep or even hire more people.
What does that do for all of you? More employees more taxes paid to the state of Connecticut. More employee means more people to purchase items at the various stores. That means the more items purchased the more jobs at that store. The items need to be manufactured. Examples, homes, appliances, cars etc.
With out this happening then we have a recession and we have people like yourself out of work.
By the way, I have sales people working for me and age never comes into it. What comes into it is production. If you are selling and meeting your goals I don't care if you are 90. Most companies work that way produce and you have a job. if you don't your gone.
To often in this country instead of looking at what we could have done differently it is to easy to blame others for our short comings
As for a Ritalin, the greatest pusher of this drug were and still are the teachers and their Unions. Ritalin became the easy way to control kids.

[retired CT physician]

Pass the bill. Fortunately, when I was working, I could afford to buy my own lunch and select the medications that were best for my patients.

[Hank Jeffs]

What a bunch of idiots you are.... All Medical Prescription Plans have multi level co-pays.... Top Line 40.00 Name Brand 30.00 Generic 20.00...... SO rather than spend your legislative time on fixing the budget or creating new jobs or feeding the poor you are going to spend all your time debating over which Doctors get a sandwich..... I can understand trips and sporting event/concert tickets but a SANDWICH.... Ahhh my Connecticut Legislators hard at work spending my tax dollars on frivolous laws.... The Connecticut way screw everyone but the legislators.... Oh while we are at it lets raise the taxes on the low/middle class again.... You politicians are out of touch with what is important to the average resident....

[Tiny Tim]

As GREEDY as the modern day Doctors seems to have gotten,, Hell No!,,, they don't deserve
(Phucking Thing) Most of those greed dirt bags, if they could find a way to justify getting away with it, they would love to charge you just for sitting in their waiting room. Doctors today are like the money hungry Lawyers,, whom I though were the bottom of the barrel, what the doctor’s are up to lately is,,,Greed Galore!

Their allegiance is to The Hypocritic oath of money grubbers

Joke!,,I herd a bus full of Lawyers crash and burner,
the sad part about it is that, 2 survived.