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Medtronic has taken a leadership role to promote transparency into the collaboration between healthcare professionals and industry. In 2008, we supported legislation that would require industry-wide reporting of physician compensation, known as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. Congress passed a version of the Sunshine legislation in 2010 in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The “Sunshine Act,” also known as “Open Payments,” is administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Sunshine Act requires Medtronic and other life science manufacturers to report to CMS payments and other “transfers of value” provided to U.S. physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses [certified nurse-midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners], and teaching hospitals. Transfers of value include, among other things, meals or lodging costs associated with education programs and other lawful courtesies provided in the course of doing business, compensation for consulting services, royalty payments and others.

Life science manufacturers provide the applicable payments and transfers to CMS by March 31 for the preceding calendar year, and CMS is required to publish the submitted data on their public, searchable website by June 30.

For more information on Medtronic and the Sunshine Act: