The AAMC joined 13 other health organizations in a March 11 amicus brief (PDF) focused on protecting the process for developing clinical practice guidelines from government intrusion.
Filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in several cases, the brief urged the court to grant plaintiffs’ motions for injunctive relief against Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigations targeting internal communications among those subject-matter experts who develop and revise clinical practice guidelines. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, and WPATH were all served with civil investigative demands by the commission for “all communications” relating to the development of various clinical guidelines for gender-affirming care for patients under age 18.
The brief explained the importance of a wide-ranging process to develop and disseminate clinical guidance to inform the judgment of clinicians, and how government investigations targeting internal deliberations among subject-matter experts chills their participation and compromises the robust exchange of views needed to produce the best evidence-based guidance for health professionals, patients, and families.
- Washington Highlights