OSU medical center cracks down on vendor gifts to staff

The Ohio State University Medical Center will begin enforcing a new policy July 1 that prohibits all staff members from accepting any gifts, food or money from vendors (Source: “OSU disallows freebies from medical vendors,” Columbus Dispatch, June 4, 2009).

The medical center’s previous policy, last updated in 2003, allowed staff to accept gifts valued at up to $100. In addition to not allowing gifts in the future, the new policy also requires staff to throw away any items that have already received. The policy also will require pharmaceutical representatives to no longer give drug samples, but rather vouchers for patients to get free medicine on their own.
The ban does not preclude paid consulting work, as long as the relationship does not interfere with a staff members responsibilities at the hospital.

Many relationships "with industry are highly productive and principled and transparent, but there are others that have the capacity to create at least the appearance of impropriety," said Susan Ehringhaus, senior director and regulatory counsel at the Association of American Medical Colleges.