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Healthy discussion of Academy
revenue stream highlights IAFP All Member Assembly
More than IAFP members packed the room in the largest All-Member Assembly since IAFP adopted the all-member meeting structure. Before more than 60 members, including 13 past presidents, the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians elected new officers, and the board of directors class of 2010. Learn more about them click here.
Attendees also thoroughly discussed a
proposal brought as a late resolution during the IAFP All Member Assembly
held during the AAFP annual meeting in
Arvind K. Goyal, M.D. from
In the spirit of transparency, Michael
Temporal, M.D., IAFP treasurer described that current IAFP annual revenues
of $1.5 million were about 60% from member dues, about 30% from CME and
other projects not funded by insurance or pharmaceutical companies, and
about 8% from unrestricted educational grants from pharmaceutical
companies. He also referred
members to Board Report K from AAFP (members-only link at http://www.aafp.org/online/etc/medialib/aafp_org/documents/about/congress/2007/bd-rpts/boardreportk.Par.0001.File.mem.tmp/Pages305-314BoardReportK-OrgRestruc.pdf)
which detailed the sources and uses of all AAFP revenue.
The report examines the effect on member dues and services should
AAFP sever all funding ties with the pharmaceutical industry.
Ongoing concerns about the influence
of pharmaceutical companies on physician prescribing habits and the
appearance of influence on Academy activities and programs motivated Dr.
Goyal to submit the resolution. “At
a time when there is increasing scrutiny of physician relationships with
pharmaceutical and insurance companies, the Academy needs to make sure its
reputation is intact. The
potential for family medicine to play a large role in health care reform
should not be weighed down by an appearance of influence from insurance or
pharmaceuticals.
The proposal also asked the Academy to
provide an annual report to the All Member Assembly on support received
from pharmaceutical and insurance companies for the next five years.
The All-Member Assembly voted to refer
the proposal to the IAFP board. The
board will review the proposal and report back to the All Member Assembly
in 2008.
TEXT OF LATE RESOLUTION #1
Submitted
by: Arvind K. Goyal, MD
Subject:
Professional Freedom from Drug Company and Insurance Company Support
Whereas,
our patients, our own profession, the media, and the government are
increasingly scrutinizing what they perceive as physicians' cozy
relationship with representatives of drug companies whose products we
prescribe and insurance companies who (don't) pay on claims for services
rendered to our patients, and
Whereas,
high cost of prescription medicines is by some and in some part being
attributed to the professional marketing expenses incurred by the drug
companies in entertaining physicians, their office staffs and families and
paying for physicians' CME, and
Whereas,
many physicians value the educational and informational materials
supplied by the representatives of the drug companies and the insurance
companies, especially those that are not biased towards their own
products, at a significant expense of the physicians' time taken away
from patient care, and
Whereas,
many medical organizational activities and meetings are currently
sponsored by drug companies and insurance companies which should be
covered by the membership and registration fees charged of members
and grants from other sources; be it, therefore,
Resolved,
that the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians gradually free itself
from any financial support for its activities and projects from drug
companies and insurance companies, and those representatives should not
participate as permanent members of any board or committees of the Academy
(except upon special invitation as guests on specific items of
discussion); and further
Resolved,
that the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians introduce and work to pass
a similar resolution at the next business meeting of the American Academy
of Family Physicians Delegates asking the AAFP to free itself
from any financial support for its activities and projects from drug
companies and insurance companies; and further
Resolved,
that the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians provide an annual
informational report at the Annual All Member Assembly of any support
received on behalf of the Academy from the Drug Companies and the
Insurance Companies during the previous year for each of the next 5 years.
