Transparency
The CGR has implemented rules on the disclosure of financial relations. These rules require that arrangements be made for the disclosure of service and sponsorship relationships agreed between pharmaceuticals companies on one hand and healthcare professionals, partnerships of healthcare professionals, institutions which employ healthcare professionals and patient organisations on the other hand. Transparency through the disclosure of financial relationships is meant to avoid misunderstandings with regard to the nature of these relationships. Disclosure is compulsory if the healthcare professional, partnership, institution or patient organisation in question receives more than € 500 (in money or in kind) from a pharmaceutical company in any calendar year.
The rules stipulate that disclosure is to take place each year following the year-end by means of a single centrally held transparency register. In principle, the pharmaceutical companies are responsible for reporting financial relationships to the transparency register. If a healthcare professional has entered into a financial relationship with a pharmaceutical company based abroad, the obligation to register the relationship lies with the healthcare professional.
The CGR Code of Conduct requires that service, sponsorship and certain hospitality agreements stipulate which data will be disclosed in the Transparency register and which party is responsible for disclosing the information. To this end, standard provisions can be found here.
Disclosure takes place in a central transparency register, set up in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The management of the register is entrusted to an independent foundation (Stichting Transparantieregister Zorg).
For the sake of clarity of registration and accurate linking of data, a reliable database is crucial. The transparency register is entitled to use the Individual Healthcare Professions (BIG) register of the government and the Chamber of Commerce register. These registers provide a guarantee of accuracy in registering personal data and compiling the central register.
The public can consult the transparency register online. The data are searchable by either an individual BIG-number for healthcare professionals or KvK-number (Chamber of Commerce number) for partnerships, institutions and patient organisations. Entering the individual code will produce a summary of the reported financial relationships which the party in question has had with pharmaceutical companies.
The register has the following reporting structure:
1. The name of the healthcare professional, partnership or institution concerned;
2. The name of the pharmaceutical company concerned;
3. The nature of the financial relationship;
4. The amount;
5. The year to which the relationship relates.