your membership matters

 

What We've Been Working On.... 

Advocacy Work:

• the NPA joined the Campaign for Children’s Health and has fought for the reauthorization and expansion of S-CHIP funding
• the NPA has endorsed the Health Partnership Act which authorizes grants to states to increase health care coverage, enhance quality, improve efficiency of health care spending, and advance use of information technology
• the NPA has launched a campaign to protect physician prescribing privacy and is working with closely with Community Catalyst to educate physicians about anti-data mining legislation in several states; these initiatives aim to ban the sale of individual physicians’ prescribing data for commercial purposes and to reduce the overwhelming marketing pressures of pharmaceutical companies.  This campaign has involved:

• the placement of multiple op-eds and letters-to-editors on this issue 
• NPA members have testified on the issue at the city, state, and federal level
• Development of new website resources, including links to industry-free CME
• Education of our members on the nature and scope of pharmaceutical marketing strategies
• an on-line petition and letter-writing campaign in support of a ban on the sale of prescriber records for commercial purposes
• multiple presentations by NPA members to colleagues and to the public

• a bill drafted by the NPA on safety-focused malpractice reform has received favorable interest from a senior member of Congress
• the NPA has joined a coalition to address the global health care worker shortage and is working to help pass the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007 which supports nations of Sub-Saharan Africa to train and retain health providers and to build a sustainable health care system
• the NPA has joined a Patient and Consumer Coalition of organizations representing patients, scientists, and public health officials calling for the FDA to create a dedicated Center for Postmarket Evaluation and Research for Drugs, Biologics, and Medical Devices
• the NPA issued a press release calling on HHS secretary Michael Leavitt to rescind the appointment of Eric Keroack to the post of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs (Keroack has since stepped down)
• the NPA issued a press release expressing deep concern over the nomination of Dr. James Holsinger, Jr. for U.S. Surgeon General
• the NPA has endorsed 08.STOP.AIDS : A Plan to Stop Global AIDS
• the NPA has joined the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity
• the NPA testified before the Washington DC City Council Committee on Health regarding new legislation requiring annual disclosure of marketing expenditures by pharmaceutical companies
• the NPA submitted written testimony to the Senate Special Committee on Aging regarding relationships between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry
• the NPA policy committee is currently drafting a report card of presidential candidates’ health reform proposals, rating how each responds to the principles set forth by the Institute of Medicine
• the NPA is supporting S. 2029 , the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, as an active member of the National Coalition for Appropriate Prescribing
• the NPA is supporting the Africa Health Capacity Act and working in coalition to expand health-care capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa
• the NPA is supporting "Our Vision for A Healthier America," drafted by the Trust for America's Health

Organizational Development:

• two successful national conferences, the latter with four times the attendance of the inaugural
• quarterly leadership planning meetings held around the country
• the seating of a full board of directors, an advisory board, and an advisory council of consumers
• the hiring of a full time executive director, half-time project coordinator, and one intern
• fully staffing seven working committees, each of which holds monthly or biweekly conference calls
• developing local action groups in many metropolitan areas
• launched a "healthy foods" listserve to develop nutrition policy
• maintaining a close and mutually supportive relationship with AMSA and CIR
• launching a blog and developing our current website
• expansion of member benefits
• launch of a niche job board
• outreach to other organizations and advocacy groups (e.g., Center for Science in the Public Interest; the AIDS Institute; Human Rights Campaign; Community Catalyst, ACORN, & more)
• successful inaugural regional conference
• launch of the new NPA FOUNDATION

 

Press Coverage:

• “No Free Lunch,” Pitt Medicine profile of NPA board member Dave Evans whose practice refuses gifts, visits, and samples from pharmaceutical detailers
• op-ed by Sen. Voinovich (R-OH) cited the NPA’s support of the Health Partnership Act (3/3/07, Chillico Gazette)
• "Healthcare Activists Call on Congress to Fund War on AIDS", Medical News Today (3/13/07)
• “Prescription for Conflict” (3/17/07, Journal News)
• Maine Public Radio (3/27/07) interview with NPA Campaign leader Ben Schaefer on the NPA’s support of a prescription privacy bill pending in the Maine legislature
• Editorial voicing the NPA’s support of a bill before the Maine legislature: LD 838, An Act Protecting the Confidentiality of Prescription Information  (4/13/07, Kennebec Journal)
• “Doctors, Lawmakers Resist Drugmakers’ Prying Eyes,” Washington Post (5/22/07) A01
• FDA Week- coverage regarding New Hampshire ruling on prescription data mining
• “Controversy erupts over pharmaceutical marketing policies,” Dental Tribune
• “Law Targets Drug Marketing Practices” Hudson Valley Business News (6/12/07)
• “AMA Faces Storm on Data Sales,” Chicago Tribune (6/24/07)
• “Prescription Mining Raises Millions for Doctors' Group,” San Francisco Chronicle (7/25/07)
• “Drug Industry Mines Physicians’ Data to Boost Sales,” NPR Morning Edition (6/26/07)
• "Opinion Piece Criticizes Sale of Physician Prescribing Data," Kaiser Family Foundation (7/26/07)
• ReachMD, XM Satellite Radio
• "Physicians Should Opt-Out," Bangor Daily News (9/13/07)
• NJ Star Ledger
• "States Move to Close Drug Data Mining," NPR Marketplace (10/2/07)
• Laconia Citizen (NH) /also ran on-line
• "Improving Health Care or Invading Privacy?" Fosters.com
• Lewiston (Maine) Sun Journal op-ed by Bethany Picker and Ben Schaefer  (9/30/07)
• Congressional Quarterly HealthBeat (10/23/07)
• Profile of Lydia Vaias , NPA Board President, in the alumni magazine of Temple University School of Medicine (Fall 07)
• "Dr. Drug Rep," NYT Magazine (11/25/07)
• "Doctor Combats Pull of Drug Reps" St. Petersburg Times (12/27/07)
• "Gathering Data on Docs," PhillyBurbs.com (1/20/08)
• "Give Doctors and Patients Privacy," Seattle Post-Intelligencer (2/7/08)
• Letter to Editor re: FDA rules on off-label promotions , New York Times (2/23/08)
• "Datamining Should get the Shaft," Seattle Times (2/26/08)
• "Bill Makes it Illegal for Drug Makers to buy Prescription Data for Marketing," Tacoma News Tribune (2/26/08)
• "Physician Gifting Crackdown," Pharmaceutical Executive (3/26/08)
• "Rx 'Data  Mining' Legislation Awaits Action in CA, Dies in WA State," Drug Benefit News (4/04/08)
• "Waiting for Health Care," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (4/16/08)
• Letter to Editor re: MA Senate Gift Ban proposal, Boston Herald, (4/21/08)
• Letter to Editor re: Gifts to Physicians, New York Times, (4/22/08)
• Letter to Editor re: ghostwriting and gifts to physicians, Baltimore Sun (4/25/08)
• "Bill Would Let Pharmacies Sell Medical Records," San Francisco Chronicle (5/28/08)
• "Bill Aims to Cure Costly Side Effects of Doctor Gifts," Public News Service (5/28/08)
• "Medical Professionals Line Up in Support of SB 1137,"  PA Health Access Network (6/23/08)
• "Gift Ban Bill Gains Backers," Boston Globe (6/24/08)
• "Groups Push Health Care," Rocky Mountain News (7/8/2008)
• "Group Kicks of $25 Million Ad Campaign for Health Care" Seattle Post Intelligencer (7/8/08)
• "Curbs eyed for Sales of W.VA. Info to Drug Makers," CNNMoney.com (7/29/08)
• "Lawmakers hear debate on doctor data mining," Charleston Gazette (7/30/08)
• "Sale of Information to Drug Makers Questioned," Times-West Virginia (7/30/08)
• "Brain Dead Bureaucrat Watch: VA Blocks Voter Registration at Vets' Hospital" Huffington Post (8/15/08)
• "National Medical Associations Join Together to Host Voter Registration Drives Across Country" Medical New Today (9/3/08)