State's Psychiatrists Top List
Once again in Vermont, psychiatrists were identified as the top recipients of pharmaceutical industry funding in an annual report compiled by the state's attorney general. The data are from drug manufacturers' public disclosures between July 2007 and June 2008. They include consulting and speaking fees, travel, gifts, and other payments to physicians, nurses, physician assistants, hospitals, and universities. The largest dollar amount–$500,000–went to 11 psychiatrists, with 1 receiving $112,000. Internal medicine, neurology, endocrinology, and physicians with ionizing radiation privileges completed the top five recipients by specialty. Interestingly, in the past 4 fiscal years, there's been a significant increase in the companies reporting their expenditures, while expenditures have dropped by a third. The top five 2007-2008 spenders were Eli Lilly–the leader for 3 years consecutively–Pfizer, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Merck, and Forest Pharmaceuticals. The full report can be found at
NAMI Queried on Industry Funds
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) continued his pursuit of conflicts of interest in psychiatry with a request in April to the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) that the patient advocacy-group disclose how much of its funding comes from pharmaceutical manufacturers. NAMI received $13 million in revenue and support for the year that ended June 30, 2008. The organization lists corporate and other donors in its annual report but does not disclose how much it gets from each source, according to NAMI spokesman Bob Carolla. He added that the organization has a policy that guides its acceptance of industry money and aims to protect its independence. Mr. Carolla said NAMI would meet with Sen. Grassley' about his request.
Psych Care Often Inaccessible
Two-thirds of primary care physicians said they cannot get outpatient mental health services for their patients, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change. The 2004-2005 data are from the center's Community Tracking Study Physician Survey and other sources. Sixty-seven percent of primary care physicians said they couldn't access mental health services for patients, compared with 34% who said they couldn't get specialist referrals and 30% who had trouble getting diagnostic imaging. Problems related to health plan barriers, inadequate insurance coverage, and shortages of providers. The study, funded by the Commonwealth Fund, was published in the online version of the journal Health Affairs.
Bill Would Restrict Ingredient
The U.S. House in late March passed the Dextromethorphan Distribution Act (H.R. 1259), which would restrict purchases of dextromethorphan, the active ingredient in many over-the-counter cough medicines. Only entities that had registered with the Food and Drug Administration or certain state agencies could buy the raw product. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association endorsed the legislation. “There is no good reason for anyone but manufacturers, pharmacists, and researchers to have the raw form of this ingredient,” said association's president, Linda Suydam, in a statement.
Alzheimer's as Economic Threat
Without decisive political action, the economic consequences of Alzheimer's disease could dwarf the current economic crisis, according to the final report of the Alzheimer's Study Group. The group was created by Congress in 2007 and includes politicians, advocates, physicians, and researchers. Its “National Alzheimer's Strategic Plan” calls for reengineering dementia care delivery and more research focused on delaying and preventing Alzheimer's disease. It also calls on Medicare to increasingly reimburse physicians for dementia care according to the quality of their work. By 2016, these “value-based payments” should cover half of all dementia care, said the group cochaired by former House speaker Newt Gingrich and former Democratic senator Bob Kerrey. The Alzheimer's Association praised the strategic plan for bringing attention to the “looming national crisis” created by the condition.
Administration Posts Filling Up
The Obama administration has named officials to several top health care-related positions that do not require Senate confirmation, including the director of the White House Office of Health Reform, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the new National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Nancy-Ann DeParle, who ran Medicaid and Medicare under President Clinton, will now lead the White House office. Rural health expert Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., was selected to head HRSA, joining the agency from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. Internist David Blumenthal, former director of the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, will take the lead on creating a nationwide health information technology infrastructure. And three new members will join the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Susan Curry, Ph.D., of Iowa City, an expert on tobacco use; Dr. Joy Melnikow of Sacramento, a family physician; and Dr. Wanda Nicholson of Baltimore, a board-certified ob.gyn. and a perinatal epidemiologist.