Cleveland Clinic provides disclosure on its physicians via Web

CLEVELAND Cleveland Clinic has made information about the backgrounds and industry relationships of all its physicians available on its Web site, the clinic announced last Wednesday.

The clinic said the move was “part of its continued commitment to transparency.” The searchable database will indicate the names of companies with which physicians and scientists have collaborations, further indicating whether they have equity, the right to royalties, a fiduciary position or a consulting relationship that pays $5,000 or more per year.

Physicians and researchers must submit for approval all industry relationships as part of a conflict-of-interest process, the clinic said.

“We want our patients to have abundant information about our physicians and let them decide what’s relevant to their situations,” Cleveland Clinic chief of staff Joseph Hahn said in a statement. “As far as we are aware, Cleveland Clinic will be the first academic medical center in the U.S. to disclose to its patients and the public the industry ties of its physicians.”