Developing a compliant approach to industry support for research and education in a climate of scrutiny.

Pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers have increasingly directed their grant-making activities and charitable donations toward support for continuing medical education (CME), graduate medical education, and medical research. This support has benefited both the companies and health care providers by facilitating the training of health care professionals and encouraging innovation. However, financial support from industry has risen to a level which has caused both private industry watchdogs and the federal government to express concern about improper industry influence upon clinical decision making. The federal government has also conducted a number of investigations to determine, among other things, whether charitable donations were used to reward or induce referrals or to ‘‘line the pockets’’ of individual physicians in violation of the federal anti-fraud laws and the laws governing the operation of non-profit corporations.