The AMA and JAMA ain't very smart.

So JAMA got into some heat recently for publishing articles that did not disclose conflicts of interests. And when outed, the editor retreated into her pre-internet cave and tried to tell the internet people to go away and that JAMA was above investigation and that “anyone filing a complaint about unreported conflicts of interest in the future would “be specifically informed that he/she should not reveal this information to third parties or the media while the investigation is underway.”

Ha!

Hey Miss Editor! Hyperlinks subvert hierarchy. Just wanted to let you know that in case you missed the last 15 years of living in this world.

There’s something very interesting happening here. About two weeks ago, one of the fastest growing groups of physicians, a social network called Sermo, announced they were formally splitting from their previous relationship with the AMA because Daniel Palestrant (the CEO of Sermo) felt that the AMA no longer represents the interests of the physicians on Sermo.

Super good work Dan. I fully support you and applaud your decision. Now the next decision I’d like you to make is changing Sermo’s business model and get Big Pharma out of Sermo. They are spreading their propoganda and spying on us in order to sell more me-too drugs.

After you do that, I’d pay money to be a member of Sermo. You’ve got the volume and the opportunity to start representing the new generation of physicians. Of course, I already am a member but I don’t use it because I feel like some filthy voyeur is watching me. And, remember, I’m a supporter. A long time ago, I said you guys could be the next AMA. I believe you can be. But only if you get all those conflicts of interest out of the community and stop following JAMAs path.