Poll: 1/3 of docs paid by drug companies for meetings

There has been a lot of discussion lately about physicians receiving gifts or payments from drug companies or others in the medical industry. And part of the healthcare reform law includes a so-called “sunshine provision” requiring docs to disclose the payment on a public Web site.

Now, a poll finds that about a third of physicians have been paid by pharmaceutical companies to attend meetings, present talks, or host a meeting, according to MomMD.com, which along with NetDoc.com ran the poll. The small poll didn’t include freebies from drug companies.

Does that number surprise you? Do you think the sunset provision will have any effect?