Cleveland Clinic Steps Up Conflict Monitoring

Once again Reed Abelson shows how little he understands about how the device industry really works. That doesn't mean the clinic's steps are a bad idea, though. A blanket ban on all conflicts would have severe consequences for device development, but hopefully that's not what will happen. Public disclosure of conflicts, on the other hand, would bring little if any harm to innovation. Public disclosure would give consumers and the media less reason to be suspicious of industry. And perhaps, knowing that their doctor was involved in developing a new treatment could give some patients more confidence in it. As long as this process doesn't turn into a witch-hunt, it could be beneficial.