The article, “Professional Medical Associations and Their Relationships with Industry,” published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, specifically addresses interactions between professional medical associations and industry.3 The authors suggest that it is inappropriate for professional medical associations to receive industry funding for their educational and other activities, and recommend that associations work towards the eventual goal of eliminating such support altogether. The article also discusses the conflict-of-interest policies of medical associations, suggesting that any relationship with pharmaceutical or device manufacturers creates potential conflict and should be avoided. The authors offer suggestions for procedures that medical associations can adopt in order to ensure that they effectively resolve any potential, real, or perceived industry conflicts of interest, noting that simply identifying conflicts is not enough.
A 400-page report from the Institute of Medicine, “Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice,” follows suit by tackling broad-based conflict-of-interest issues in medicine and calling for a new method for accredited providers to deliver high-quality continuing medical education that is free of commercial support.4
The ACR follows a strict code of ethical conduct which governs interactions with all external corporate supporters.
Industry and the ACR
It appears clear that the general consensus demands a re-examination of all relationships with industry. So what does all of this mean for educational and other programs offered by the ACR? Where does the ACR stand on these issues? How do these changes affect you, as individual members?
The ACR continually strives for fair, conflict-free programs and acknowledges that the identification and resolution of conflicts of interest is necessary to ensure the validity and balance of medical education. In fact, ensuring the autonomy of medical education is not only a best practice, it is a necessary requirement articulated by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). The ACCME Standards for Commercial Support outline criteria to ensure the independence of continuing medical education. In addition to fully abiding by the ACCME standards, the ACR follows a strict code of ethical conduct, the ACR Policy on Corporate Relationships, which governs the ACR’s interactions with all external corporate supporters. This code has allowed us to develop meaningful collaborations with industry to achieve our organizational mission without compromising our values or principles and while maintaining our independence. These policies are reviewed annually or more frequently, as needed. Among other things, the policies prohibit the acceptance of support for certain activities, including position statements, patient fact sheets, practice management guidelines, advocacy, response criteria, and quality indicators. When compared with other similar policies in other organizations, the ACR Policy on Corporate Relationships is consistently described as among the most conservative.
