- An orthopaedic surgeon shall, while caring for and treating a patient, regard his or her responsibility to the patient as paramount.
- An orthopaedic surgeon shall prescribe drugs, devices, and other treatments primarily on the basis of medical considerations and patient needs, regardless of any direct or indirect interests in or benefit from industry.
- An orthopaedic surgeon convicted of violating federal or state conflict of interest laws or regulations shall be subject to discipline under the AAOS Professional Compliance Program.
- An orthopaedic surgeon shall, when treating a patient, resolve conflicts of interest in accordance with the best interest of the patient, respecting a patient's autonomy to make health care decisions.
- An orthopaedic surgeon shall notify the patient of his or her intention to withdraw from the patient-physician relationship, in a manner consistent with state law, if a conflict of interest cannot be resolved in the best interest of the patient.
- An orthopaedic surgeon shall decline subsidies or other financial support from industry, except that an orthopaedic surgeon may accept gifts having a fair market value of less than $100, medical textbooks, or patient educational materials.
- An orthopaedic surgeon who has influence in selecting a particular product or service for an entity shall disclose any relationship with industry to colleagues, the institution and other affected entities.
- An orthopaedic surgeon shall disclose to the patient any financial arrangements with industry that relate to the patient's treatment, including the receipt of inventor royalties, stock options or paid consulting arrangements with industry.
- An orthopaedic surgeon shall accept no direct financial inducements from industry for using a particular implant or for switching from one manufacturer's product to another.
- An orthopaedic surgeon shall enter into consulting agreements with industry only when such arrangements are established in advance and in writing to include evidence of the following:
- Documentation of an actual need for the service;
- Proof that the service was provided;
- Evidence that physician reimbursement for consulting services is consistent with fair market value; and
- Not based on the volume or value of business he or she generates.
- An orthopaedic surgeon shall participate in or consult at only those meetings that are conducted in clinical, educational, or conference settings conducive to the effective exchange of information.
- An orthopaedic surgeon shall accept no financial support from industry to attend industry-related social functions where there is no educational element.
- An orthopaedic surgeon who is attending a CME event shall accept no industry financial support for attendance at a CME event. Residents and orthopaedists-in-training may accept an industry grant to attend a CME event if they are selected by their training institution or CME sponsor and the payment is made by the training program or CME sponsor. Bona fide faculty members at a CME event may accept industry-supported reasonable honoraria, travel expenses, lodging and meals from the conference sponsors.
- An orthopaedic surgeon, when attending an industry-sponsored non-CME educational event, shall accept only tuition, travel and modest hospitality, including meals and receptions; the time and focus of the event must be for education or training.
- An orthopaedic surgeon, when attending an industry-sponsored non-CME educational event, shall accept no financial support for meals, hospitality, travel, or other expenses for his or her guests or for any other person who does not have a bona fide professional interest in the information being shared at the meeting.
- An orthopaedic surgeon, when reporting on clinical research or experience with a given procedure or device, shall disclose any financial interest in that procedure or device if he or she or any institution with which he or she is connected has received anything of value from its inventor or manufacturer.
- An orthopaedic surgeon who is the principal investigator shall make his or her best efforts to ensure at the completion of the study that relevant research results are reported and reported truthfully and honestly with no bias or influence from funding sources, regardless of positive or negative findings.
* Excerpted from the complete Standards of Professionalism (SOPs) on Orthopaedist-Industry Conflicts of Interest, available here
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