The relationship between doctors and medical suppliers is often tainted by money, said ethicists from around the region.
A New York Times report this week noted that a University of Wisconsin surgeon received $400,000 per year for consulting with a medical device company.
Also this week, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article pointing to health industry practices that create conflicts of interest. The authors called for more stringent regulation of small gifts, drug samples, and payments for speeches, research contracts, and attending seminars.
Norman Fost, a UW-Madison professor of bioethics, said the case highlighted in the New York Times might make one think such an arrangement is unusual.