and our code of Ethics
BEFORE YOU USE THIS SITE
OR ORDER A MOSS REPORT
PLEASE READ
THIS IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
That includes all the material in this Internet site. Online availability
of text and images does not imply that they may be reused without the permission
of rights holders, although the Copyright Act does permit certain unauthorized
reuse as fair use under 17 U.S.C. ß107. Care should be taken to ensure
that all necessary rights are cleared prior to reusing material distributed
over the Internet and other online services. Information about reuse is
available from the institutions that make their materials available online.
A QUESTION OF ETHICS
We believe that our information is generally accurate and reliable. One of the reasons for this is that nobody in our company has a financial motive to write about one treatment over another. We actively avoid any commerical involvement with the practitioners, clinics, products, or companies that we write about. We have published the following Code of Ethics in our newsletter and urge others in the field to adhere to the same standards.
The person with cancer might use this code of ethics as a guideline for interviewing and investigating health care providers in the cancer field. We are proud of the fact that Columbia University's Rosenthal Center has now adapted this code in its own examination of information providers in alternative medicine.
This Code of Ethics does not come
out of a vacuum, nor is it an attempt to be "holier than thou."
We are not against people making money in an ethical way. But over the years
we have become increasingly disturbed by evident conflicts of interest of
those who offer advice to people with cancer and then profit from that advice.
Patients and their families are generally sensible, but are obviously put in a vulnerable (sometimes desperate) position. They are seeking reliable and accurate counsel, fast. Yet sometimes what they hear about alternative treatments is not just ill-informed but highly self-interested.
Vested interests can take many forms. In general, we feel, patients certainly have a right to know exactly what financial arrangements their advisors have made with the treatments they refer them to.
We think it is necessary to have certain well-defined standards in our dealings with patients. With that in mind, we have formulated a Code of Ethics. In order to protect and strengthen our independent judgments on the value of treatments we discuss, we have subscribed to the following set of self-imposed rules.
OUR CODE OF ETHICS
1) We will not promote or sell any medical treatments (other than those we might be licensed to give by law).
2) We will not accept paid employment from any healthcare provider in the cancer field.
3) We will not seek nor accept referral fees in any form from practitioners, doctors, hospitals or clinics.
4) We will not enter into any financial arrangements with medical centers to be compensated for record keeping, patient recruitment, epidemiological studies, follow-up, public relations, or any similar payment structure.
5) We will not seek compensation for travel, meals, or entertainment from any medical practitioner or supplier. Our basic rule is that we pay our own way. At times when it is impossible to avoid accepting a meal (e.g., when visiting in a foreign city or country) we will make a donation for an equivalent amount to a non-profit organization.
6) We will not invest or buy securities in cancer-related healthcare companies.
7) We will not accept gifts or compensation from medical practitioners or suppliers (excluding small samples of products or services for testing).
8) We will not accept "honoraria" from individual practitioners or clinics. (Legitimate honoraria from non-profit organizations, universities, etc. are acceptable.)
9) We will not accept payments for testifying as an expert witness at trials or before state or federal legislatures (with the exception of reimbursement for travel-related expenses).
10) We will not act as representatives for doctors, medical companies or clinics in the United States or abroad.
