http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/10/02/drug_data_mining/
Drug companies paying doctors for lists of drugs they prescribe for marketing purposes. The AMA collects mega-dollars by selling data about the prescribing habits of its physicians.
The biggest objections to the practice are a) that it compromises privacy b)that it adds a new influence, that of the drug companies into the doctor patient relationship c) that it prevents controlling costs by giving an edge to non-generic drug manufacturers.
In terms of health, the data is also used to monitor side effects reported from people being treated with specific drugs.
Task a day insurance: Does this bother you? Maybe not, but the dollars the AMA is getting from selling data about patients is being used for other promotions that benefit those other than consumers and patients, such as the big push to get everyone insured, so that of course, they can get paid.
