2. @anpe
โข Data journalism for DK media / analytics for
Dutch NGOs
โข Political scientist by training
โข Trying to do more EU journalism
3. Two different approaches for
investigating?
โข What issue do we want to investigate?
Letting the issue drive your investigation
methodology. If no data available โ find them.
โข What data can we explore?
A reverse approach: We have a data set โ what
story can we get from it?
4. Why investigate doctor-pharma
relations?
โข +700 mio. dollars from only 12 companies over multi year
period in the US
โข +200 mio. dollars from the big 3 in 2011 in the US (Source:
Pro Publica)
โข Why: The doctor is a gate keeper
โข The relations are relevant to investigate at several levels:
โข 1) Contributor to research
โข 2) Voice in debates on public health
โข 3) Recommendations made at government levels
โข 4) Prescriptions in daily treatment of patients
6. Inspiration: Dollar for Docs
โข Documenting relations between doctors and
pharmaceutical companies in the US
โข Created a database based on web-scraped
information
7. Taking it to DK:
What kind of data is available?
โข A spreadsheet of 5000 sponsorship relations
between doctors and pharmaceutical
companies issued by Danish Medical
Authority.
โข The list has been available since 2010,
according to requirements in Danish
legislation.
9. Content of data โ columns available
Name of doctor
Specialty (orthopeadic, psychiatrist, etc.)
Pharmaceutical sponsor
Data of expiration of sponsorship
โขBut not available:
Work place address
Company registration or ID
Amount paid by pharmaceutical company
10. Finding the missing information?
โข Public register registered general practitioners
with information on doctors, address and
specialty
โข Data not accessible as download โ copied off
website.
11. How to track a doctor in DK?
โข Authorization registry: ca. 270,000
Solely a number and thus not useful.
โข Public register of 3,000 GP and specialist
clinics
Limited information about the individual clinic.
Different issuing authority.
Different columns and data architecture.
13. How to match names from different
databases?
โข Example:
โข Birgitte E. Jensen is sponsored by Lundbeck
โข Gitte Esther Jensen is a GP in Copenhagen
โข What to do?
18. A few tips for Fusion Tables
โข Use the fusion table format for addresses
address, zip, country (some addresses will still
be unavailable)
โข Prepare the data as much as possible prior to
upload in Excel
โข Use clear identifiable column headers
โข Have others test the usability or functionality
of your visualization
21. The big picture: Big pharma sponsors
lots of doctors
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
Sponsor agreement
100
Employed in DK
50
0
22. How stories can help build coalitions
for better access to data
โข March 2012:
Danish Regions declines to hand out transparency data
for registered doctors: โWe do not process individual
requests.โ
โข April: Story published
Academics show interest in data.
GP association โWe favor transparency, but would have
preferred that the data had been compiled by the
authorities.โ
23. Challenges for replicating across
Europe:
โข Lack of reporting requirements on medical
transparency
โข Lack of access to lists of registered doctors
โข Issues are often solved internally between the
industry and doctor associations rather than
in public
25. Norway: Ethical standard, but no
transparency
โข Response from Norwegian Doctors Association (Legeforeningen):
โข โNeither the authorities nor the Norwegian Doctors Association
develop lists of doctors with relations to the pharmaceutical
industry.โ
โข โDoctors must adhere to ethical standardsโฆโ
26. Germany: Studies, but no transparency
โข German doctors association (Deutschen
รrzteschaft):
โThere isnโt any institution in Germany that
functions as a central contact point and covers the
collaboration between doctors and pharmaceutical
industry in a systematic way. At this time, all
existing overviews only describe the types of
collaboration, a disclosure about the amount of
financial benefit is not designated.โ
27. Sweden: Doctors and industry settle
disputes internally โ no transparency
โข The Swedish doctors association (Sveriges Lรคkarfรถrbund):
โAv รถverenskommelsen framgรฅr att den ska gemensamt
utvรคrderas genom SKL:s och LIF:s samrรฅdsgrupp.
Lรคkemedelsfรถretagens ev. รถvertrรคdelser granskas av
Informationsgranskningsmannen (IGM) och Nรคmnden fรถr
bedรถmning av Lรคkemedelsinformation (NBL).โ
โVi รคr รถverens om att sponsring ska prรคglas av รถppenhet.โ
28. The Netherlands: Transparency from
2013
โข The NL doctors association KNMG is assisting
implementing this:
โข โIf the amount of one of more relationships is beyond
โฌ 500,- per calendar year, the parties shall disclose
within 3 months following the calendar year. The first
financial relationships will be published in 2013.โ
โข The registration will include:
โข โThe nature of agreement;- The name of
pharmaceutical company ;- The name of the medical
professional or partnerships of healthcare
professionals.โ
29. DK: Transparency (sort of) in place
since ca. 2010
What is disclosed:
- Payments, but not in kind transfers (ie. travels)
Who is included?
- Authorized doctors and dentists
How specific are the disclosures?
- Reporting companies are required to report the
receiving physicianโs name and role.
- The name of product need not to be reported.
- Amount is not reported
30. US: Health Care reform to push
transparency
โข Physician Payments Sunshine provisions in
Health Care Reform Act (2010) implemented
in 2013
31. US: The specifics
What will be disclosed:
- Payments or in kind transfers (ie. Travels)
Who is included?
- Covered recipients include physicians and teaching hospitals.
How specific are the disclosures?
- Reporting companies are required to report the receiving
physicianโs name, address, and national provider identifier.
- The name of product promoted must be reported.
- Everything above $100 should be reported
32. Where to go from here?
โข A European doctor transparency register?
โข Cross border investigations on multinational
pharmaceuticals?