nppes.cms.hhs.gov/NPPES/NPIRegistryHome.do. Per Turenne’s comments, searching the site for the name “Brian Roberts”—chosen at random—turns up 17 medical professionals from across the country. Each entry lists the individual’s NPI number, address, and “primary taxonomy,” which includes everything from “Allo- pathic&Osteopathic Physicians” to “Physician Assistants& Advanced PracticeNursing Providers.” It would seem, then, that privacy concerns surrounding NPI
numbers are overstated. But attendees at medical meetings still will need to be educated as to why they’re suddenly being asked for this information. And associations will have to figure out— quickly—how best to collect it.
STAKEHOLDERS: HCEA is forming a task force “to examine the issue, explore best practices, and maintain a dialogue between all industry participants that will be affected by this issue.”
MEDICAL MEETINGS
‘We Just Don’t Know’ There remains a great degree of uncertainty surround- ing PPACA’s Sunshine provision—and indeed the entire law. In its background document, HCEA states: “For now, many of the details of the Sunshine provisions are
still open to interpretation, and there are even reports that some of the languagemaybe revised.”Turenne added: “Until the final language is made public, everybody’s guessing. All anyone can do is guess or tell you what they’ve heard.” Both Turenne andHCEApoint to the scheduled release, this
October, of a “guidance document” from HHS regarding how the Sunshine provision will be implemented. HCEA also cites a recent article inCQRoll Call claiming that a Senate committee might expand the list of “covered recipients” to include “nurses, pharmacists and other non-physicians who prescribe drugs.” As for the language of the lawitself being changed, thatwon’t
happen, according toDan Kracov, a partner at Arnold&Porter who heads up the law firm’s FDA and health-care practice. The guidance document that HHS will release in October, Kracov said, “cannot change the [law’s] statutory language.”Headded: “It will have an impact on the details of how you account for information and how you submit it, but it will not change the parameters of the law. I don’t see that making verymuchof a dif- ference from amedical-meetings perspective.” Meanwhile, some planners question to what extent they’ll
even be asked to help gather this information. “In discussions that we’ve had with our exhibitors,” said Tom Pellet, division director of meetings and events for the American Academy of continued on page 48