Promotes transparency of industry relationships in letter to Senator Grassley

(Burr Ridge, IL) – The North American Spine Society (NASS) today responded to Senator Charles Grassley’s December request concerning disclosure of financial relationships between medical device and pharmaceutical industries, physicians and professional medical associations. Grassley (R-IA) on December 7, 2009 sent letters to 33 health care organizations asking for information on financial backing they may have received from the pharmaceutical, medical device and insurance industries over the past three years.

“As the leader in multidisciplinary spine care, representing more than 5,500 providers across the United States, NASS appreciates Senator Grassley’s leadership on this important issue and understands the impact these relationships can have on the care provided to patients,” said NASS President Ray Baker, MD.  “Over the past several years, NASS has set forth a robust participant disclosure and leadership divestment plan to ensure industry relationships with NASS, its leadership, and its members are fully transparent and that these relationships do not influence the work of our organization or its leadership.”

View NASS’ response to Senator Grassley here.
 
Since November 2001, NASS has taken an aggressive role in ensuring that its members and participants are fully informed of their ethical obligations, the definition of and issues surrounding conflicts of interest, and the need for full disclosure. In January 2009, NASS adopted a groundbreaking disclosure policy requiring all participants in any NASS activity, including those who serve in committee and leadership positions within the society, speakers, and authors on NASS publications, to disclose any relationship with industry in the previous calendar year with an estimated value greater than $100 in actual estimated dollar amounts. The NASS Board of Directors also took the groundbreaking step of appointing David J. Rothman, PhD – a non-member, academic ethicist – to the NASS Board.

View the release: “NASS Redefines Mission, Adopts Groundbreaking Disclosure Policy.”

“The NASS Board of Directors is committed to the highest level of ethics for its members and has created an environment in which full disclosure is not only encouraged, but mandatory. We continue to strive to ‘raise the bar’ for ethics not only within NASS but in the entire field of spine care,” said Baker.

The North American Spine Society (NASS) is a multidisciplinary medical organization dedicated to fostering the highest quality, evidence‐based, and ethical spine care by promoting education, research, and advocacy. NASS is comprised of more than 5,500 members from several disciplines including orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, physiatry, neurology, radiology, anesthesiology, research, physical therapy and other spine care professionals.

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