My Hospital is revisiting the question of finder's fees for clinical
studies. For those unfamiliar, fees are sometimes paid to medical
professionals who encourage patients with specific diseases or characteristics
to participate in research studies. We currently do not permit such fees as
a potential conflict of interest. One possibility under consideration is to
disallow fees only when the 'recruiter' is also the initial contact for
the project (i.e., the person who explains the informed consent form). I
would be interested in the policies of your organizations with regard to
finder's fees. You may respond on or off the list; I will compile the
results and post them to the list.

Thank you for your assistance.

Bruce W. Steinert, Ph.D.
Department of Urology
William Beaumont Hospital
3601 West Thirteen Mile Road        (810) 551-2572 (Voice)
Royal Oak, MI  48073-6769           (810) 551-8107 (FAX)