November 28, 2016
At its recent Board of Regents meeting, the American College of Physicians (ACP) adopted the following statement on Unsolicited Communications (also known as “cold calling”):
ACP opposes unsolicited communications (“cold calling”) of pharmaceuticals, durable medical equipment, supplies, and healthcare services that target patients and/or physicians and/or other prescribing clinicians including via direct mail, telecommunications, or facsimile. ACP believes this practice can lead to inappropriate treatment, interferes with the patient-clinician relationship, adds unnecessary costs to the health care system, and raises legal issues.
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The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States. ACP members include 148,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter and Facebook.
Contact: David Kinsman, (202) 261-4554, dkinsman@acponline.org