From time to time America’s Physician Groups (APG) solicits or is offered cash sponsorship contributions from health plans, drug companies, and others who either wish to support APG’s activities or who wish to be perceived by APG’s members as friends of APG or its member groups. APG recognizes that the acceptance of such sponsorship contributions can create either actual or apparent conflicts of interest in the event that APG’s position on a particular issue were to diverge from the position of a sponsor. It is the policy of APG that such contributions can nevertheless be accepted as long as the sponsors understand that no quid pro quo will be given for such contributions. Sponsors therefore make contributions solely to support APG’s activities and not to attempt to influence APG in any way.
Each America’s Physician Group sponsor shall consequently be advised as follows:
“Sponsorship contributions to America’s Physician Groups shall not entitle a sponsor to direct or influence APG’s policy or activities, and APG shall take any position or action it deems advisable and in the interests of its members on any issue before it, including positions adverse to the position taken by one or more sponsors. Further, APG may accept sponsorship contributions from sponsors with different positions on the same issues.”
