At Loma Linda University Health, our commitment to wholeness is part of everything we do. We design our education, clinical care and research programs to fulfill our motto—to make man whole. Many aspects of Loma Linda University Health’s interactions with pharmaceutical, biotech or medical device industries are positive and important for promoting our work in education, clinical care and research. At the same time, these interactions must be ethical and cannot create conflicts of interest that could endanger patient safety, data integrity, the integrity of our educational and training programs or the reputation of either faculty members or the institution. Our policies affirm that health care professionals should use objective and evidence-based sources of information to make clinical decisions rather than information obtained through the marketing efforts of these industries.

Loma Linda University Health supports transparency and public awareness of financial relationships between industry and health care providers, which is a primary goal of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments program, also known as the “Sunshine Act.” Loma Linda University Health is fully supportive of the transparency goals of the Open Payments program.

Information about payments available in the Open Payments database is the first step toward transparency. Understanding the proper context of those payments in the Open Payments database is a critical step to engaging in open dialogue with patients about health care innovation and advancing patient care through principled partnerships with industry.

Loma Linda University Health has concerns regarding the accuracy of data submitted by applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations (GPO) in the Open Payments database for Loma Linda University Health. At this time we are unable to verify if some payments as reported by applicable manufacturers and GPOs for Loma Linda University Health are accurate. As a large health system and academic medical center, Loma Linda University Health is also concerned that the payments reported by applicable manufacturers and GPOs may have been attributed to the wrong entity within Loma Linda University Health, its teaching hospitals and / or to physicians within the Loma Linda University Health system. Loma Linda University Health has initiated the CMS dispute and resolution process within Open Payments and will continue to work with applicable manufacturers and GPOs toward resolution.

At Loma Linda University Health we are dedicated to conducting education, patient care and research program activities in accordance with applicable laws and the highest standards of Christian ethics. As part of this commitment, all staff who are in a position to make or influence decisions for Loma Linda University Health are required to promptly inform Loma Linda University Health of any potential conflict of interest and refrain from rendering unapproved directive, managerial, consultative or other services to any outside individual or company. Loma Linda University Health takes conflicts of interest seriously and has put in place policies, training and administrative review processes through which potential conflicts are managed and addressed. The Open Payments program allows Loma Linda University Health the opportunity to assess and respond to information collected by applicable manufacturers and GPOs about payments or transfers of value to teaching hospitals and physicians within Loma Linda University Health.

For news media inquiries: call the Office of Public Relations at (909) 558-4111 during business hours, or call (909) 558-4000 and ask to page the Media Relations specialist on-call at any time.

For more information about Open Payments (the Sunshine Act): visit Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website.