PHYSICIAN ALERT
Physicians Urged to Review Payment Claims Before Public Release

   

If you have received payments or anything else of value from drug and medical device manufacturers, log in and review your report by Aug. 27 to prevent inaccurate data about you from being released publicly. Inaccurate data could negatively influence public opinion about you and your practice.

 

Drug and medical device manufacturers who participate in U.S. federal health care programs must officially report payments and items of value given to physicians and hospitals under the Sunshine Act. The American Medical Association successfully fought to allow physicians the opportunity to review and challenge any reports they deem false, inaccurate or misleading prior to publication, but the window for physicians to make those changes ends Aug. 27.

 

How to check the accuracy of your report:

1. Complete CMS e-verification - Register through the CMS website and confirm your identity here.
2. Register with CMS' Open Payments System - After e-verification is completed (step 1) and physicians gain access to the CME Enterprise Portal, registration must also be completed in the CMS' Open Payments System here.
3. Review data prior to Aug. 27 - Once registration is completed, physicians may request their individual reports, review it and flag any disputes. CMS will not personally resolve disputes, but errors can be reported to manufacturers through the Open Payments System or directly through the Open Payments contacts listed on most individual manufacturer websites.

Any disputes must by initiated by the deadline to have the data flagged in the initial public release. CMS will release the data publicly on Sept. 30, 2014. After that date, physicians may still dispute the 2013 report through Dec. 31, 2014, but the data will not be marked as disputed in the public database until the agency updates the report again. This could require an additional six to 12-month wait, during which time an inaccurate report will remain publicly viewable.

 

For more information on the Physician Payments Sunshine Act and the Open Payments Program, visit the AMA's FAQ page.