6.Open Everything To Everyone
Transparency is being sought in every nook and cranny in healthcare. And it isn't just a matter of making data available that can help consumers make smart buying decisions, the report notes. There are changes afoot in Europe and in the U.S. that is pushing to get all clinical trials data reported and published given that a fair amount clinical trials data is unreported. This denies researchers valuable information.
The trend toward transparency is being seen amongst regulators too - FDA launched its OpenFDA public database for analyzing drug and medical device adverse events, recalls and labeling information in 2014. This enables patients and physicians to search the data sets to understand how often side effects can occur with specific products. The agency is also encouraging third party developers to create mobile apps to connect patients taking the same medications so they can share individual experiences.
Another example of transparency is the Open Payments website, which was the result of the Sunshine Act that requires drugmakers and device makers to publish how much they pay providers, that went live in September. The goal of the law is to shed light on a common industry practice where drugmakers and device makers routinely compensate doctors, who sometimes may be their consultants. This practice was never formally reported thereby leading many to believe that physicians could habe conflict of interest in receiving payments from companies without the public being aware.
While the overall trend toward transparency will continue, it's not clear how patients respond to knowledge that their doctor received payment from a vendor, the report notes.
