PROTECTING PRESCRIPTION PRIVACY
Databases about physicians’ prescribing practices have been created, sold, and used without physicians’ knowledge or consent.
The National Physicians Alliance supports a legislative ban on the sale of physician prescribing data for commercial and marketing purposes.
Read our issue brief on the subject and post your comments on the NPA blog.
Industry opposition to a ban is strong.
Legislation to ban the sale of prescribing data was enacted into law in New Hampshire. Legislation is currently pending in AZ, IL, KS, ME, MD, MA, NV (Assembly, Senate), NY , RI, TX, VT, WA, and WV.
Legal Analysis of NH Ruling (August 30, 2007)
Amicus Brief Filed on Sept 7, 2007
Read more about NPA’s work in Maine to pass similar legislation:
Kennebec Journal "Mining our own business"
Bangor Daily News "Reading Your Prescriptions"
Maine Public Radio with Murray Carpenter, March 27, 2007, "Bill Would Increase Privacy"
Articles from the peer-reviewed literature:
Pharmaceutical Marketing Research and the Prescribing Physician
Prescriber Profiling: Time to Call it Quits
For Sale: Physicians' Prescribing Data
Pharmaceutical Company Payments to Physicians: Early Experiences With Disclosure Laws in Vermont and Minnesota
Health Industry Practices That Create Conflicts of Interest: A Policy Proposal for Academic Medical Centers
A National Survey of Physician–Industry Relationships
Following the Script: How Drug Reps Make Friends and Influence Doctors