When Money Trumps Trust

Americans consistently rank physicians as among the most trusted professionals. Much of that trust is well earned and arises, in part, from the public perception that a doctor’s judgment is free of corrupting financial influences. But that confidence has been increasingly compromised by financial incentives that pharmaceutical and medical device companies have given to physicians. Ask doctors whether they are influenced by gifts and payments and they will say that their professional judgment cannot be bought. Ask drug and device sales reps the same question and they will say that even small amounts of money paid to doctors produce significant “returns on investment.” 

Read more…