Health bill will require drug companies to reveal doctor payments

A provision in the new health care bill is intended to make drug companies’ payments to physicians more transparent, California Watch reported.

The provision started as a stand-alone bill, the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, and was folded into legislation signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday.

Among the requirements in the sunshine provision are that drug and device companies covered by Medicaid, Medicare and states’ childrens health insurance programs must report gifts and payments made to doctors and hospitals. The drug companies must also post data on their Web sites and give it to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; companies that fail to report the information will be fined $10,000 to $100,000.