Shedding Some Light on the Sunshine Act

I read with interest Mr. Aicheru0027s editorial in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal ,1 and wanted to echo and share some of my thoughts and concerns on this new government mandate. Approximately 2 years ago the Centers for Medicare u0026 Medicaid Services (CMS) was tasked by the federal government to oversee and report all payments made to health care providers, owing to concerns that payments from the pharmaceutical industry and medical device companies would influence which medicines or medical devices are used or prescribed to patients. The information from the first phase of this report was recently released.In 2005, the Department of Justice sued 5 leading medical device companies, citing inducement of product use through consulting relationships designed to encourage physicians to select their products.2 These lawsuits, for the most part, have deterred physicians from engaging in this unethical practice; however, the national government has increased its oversight and has directed the CMS to monitor this activity. The CMS created this department to: these goals, specifically within the context of aesthetic medicine and plastic surgery, the first 2 have been addressed by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Of the remaining 3, it is my opinion that the federal government may not be the best body to hold physicans to any accountability …