CMSS Code for Interactions with Companies

About the CMSS Code for Interactions with Companies

Medical specialty societies develop resources that help our members advance medical care and provide a forum for presenting scientific developments. Members work with health professionals, patients, and other groups to guide biomedical research, discover new therapies, and engage in the practice of medicine. Societies offer educational opportunities that help translate scientific and medical progress into delivery of medical care.

For-profit entities that develop, produce, market or distribute pharmaceuticals, devices, services or therapies used to diagnose, treat, monitor, manage, and alleviate health conditions, referred to in this Code as “Companies,” also strive to help patients live longer and healthier lives. Companies invest resources to bring new drug therapies and devices from the laboratory to the patient while maximizing shareholder value.

Members and patients rely on Societies to be authoritative, independent voices in science and medicine. Public confidence in our objectivity and minimizing actual and perceived conflicts of interest are critical to advancing our mission. As an organization, CMSS insists every Society meet the highest ethical standards in its relationships with these Companies and the public.

Click here to read the CMSS Code for Interactions with Companies

Code Signers

The following CMSS Member Organizations have agreed to be listed as signers to the Code for Interactions with Companies.
Additional member and non-member societies will be added as leadership reviews and approve the Code.

What Signing on to the Code means:

From Article II:
“The purpose of the Code is to guide Societies in the development of policies and procedures that safeguard the independence of their programs, policies, and advocacy positions. Because Societies can vary in their activities and corporate structures, these policies and procedures need not be uniform. Each Society that chooses to sign on to the Code is encouraged to adopt policies and procedures that are tailored to meet its individual organizational needs. Societies may choose to adopt policies that are more rigorous than the Code.”

From Article V:
“Societies that sign on to the Code should adopt policies and procedures to guide Society‐Company interactions in accordance with the Code. Societies will interpret and implement the Code in the context of their organizational structure and their policies and procedures.”

CMSS Member Societies that have formally signed on to the Code:

  • American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI)
  • American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
  • American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
  • American Academy of Neurology (AAN)
  • American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
  • American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
  • American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM)
  • American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R)
  • American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE)
  • American College of Cardiology (ACC)
  • American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
  • American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG)
  • American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM)
  • American College of Physicians (ACP)
  • American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM)
  • American College of Radiology (ACR)
  • American College of Rheumatology (ACRh)
  • American College of Surgeons (ACS)
  • American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG)
  • American Epilepsy Society (AES)
  • American Geriatrics Society (AGS)
  • American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)
  • American Psychiatric Association (APA)
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)
  • American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS)
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
  • American Society of Hematology (ASH)
  • American Society of Nephrology (ASN)
  • American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)
  • American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
  • American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
  • American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)
  • American Thoracic Society (ATS)
  • American Urological Association (AUA)
  • North American Spine Society (NASS)
  • Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
  • Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO)
  • Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM)
  • Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR)
  • Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI)
  • The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine and The Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA)

Non-member Societies that have formally signed on to the Code:

  • Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM)
  • American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM)
  • American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAOHNS)
  • American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM)
  • American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
  • American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and AASM Foundation
  • American College of Osteopathic Internists (ACOI)
  • American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR)
  • American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA)
  • American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS)
  • International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE)
  • International Neuromodulation Society (INS)
  • National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP)
  • Neurocritical Care Society (NCS)
  • Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)
  • Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM)

Organizations that have announced their support for the Code:

  • Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
  • Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
  • Association for Hospital Medical Education (AHME)
  • American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
  • Eastern Association of the Surgery of Trauma (EAST)
  • Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
  • National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME)