Prescriber Profiling
Authors: Alexander C. Tsai
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2008)

Letters1 January 2008Prescriber ProfilingAlexander C. Tsai, MD, PhDAlexander C. Tsai, MD, PhDFrom the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98104-2499.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-148-1-200801010-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Given that fewer than 1% of American Medical Association (AMA) members have participated in the Prescribing Data Restriction Program (PDRP), only 25% of surveyed members are aware of the program's existence, and 66% disapprove of the sale of physician-specific prescribing data to drug companies, Grande's concern that “the AMA opt-out program is not an effective way to address the concerns of physicians and their patients” (1) is a tactful understatement.A thorough literature review at the PDRP's inception would have revealed that opt-out programs are designed to maximize participation while preserving a patina of choice. Implementation of ...References1. Grande D. Prescriber profiling: time to call it quits [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146:751-2. [PMID: 17502637] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Introduction of routine HIV testing in prenatal care—Botswana, 2004. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2004;53:1083-6. [PMID: 15565017] MedlineGoogle Scholar3. Pitkin RM, Burmeister LF. Identifying manuscript reviewers: randomized comparison of asking first or just sending. JAMA. 2002;287:2795-6. [PMID: 12038915] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Junghans C, Feder G, Hemingway H, Timmis A, Jones M. Recruiting patients to medical research: double blind randomised trial of “opt-in” versus “opt-out” strategies. BMJ. 2005;331:940. [PMID: 16157604] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Carroll GD, Choi JJ, Laibson D, Madrian B, Metrick A. Optimal Defaults and Active Decisions. NBER Working Paper no. 11074. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research; January 2005. Accessed at www.nber.org/papers/w11074 on 15 May 2007. Google Scholar6. O'Reilly KB. AMA opt-out program will keep prescribing data from drug reps. American Medical News. 22/29 May 2006. Accessed at www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/05/22/prl10522.htm on 15 May 2007. Google Scholar7. Greene JA. Pharmaceutical marketing research and the prescribing physician. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146:742-8. [PMID: 17502635] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98104-2499.Disclosures: Dr. Tsai is a member of the ethics committee for the National Physicians Alliance, an organization that supports a legislative ban on the sale of physician prescribing data for commercial and marketing purposes. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoPharmaceutical Marketing Research and the Prescribing Physician Jeremy A. Greene Prescriber Profiling: Time to Call It Quits David Grande Prescriber Profiling Stephen E. Pratt Prescriber Profiling Stephen M. Kirk Prescriber Profiling Adriane Fugh-Berman Metrics Cited ByPrescription Tracking and Public Health 1 January 2008Volume 148, Issue 1Page: 81KeywordsConflicts of interestDrug policyDrugsHIVPrevention, policy, and public healthPublic policy ePublished: 1 January 2008 Issue Published: 1 January 2008 CopyrightCopyright © 2008 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...