Medical group examines questionable Web sites. (Service Salute).The Federation of State Medical Boards Federation of State Medical Boards, n.pr an association comprising the medical boards of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and 13 state boards associated with osteopathic medicine. (FSMB FSMB The Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc ), Dallas, has its own online private eye who keeps a watchful eye on dubious prescription-related activities on the Web. A full-time investigator collects and disseminates information on suspicious Internet sites that offer prescription drugs prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, to consumers based solely on online questionnaires With the increasing use of the Internet, online questionnaires have become a popular way of collecting information. The design of an online questionnaire often has an affect how the quality of data gathered. . FSMB (www.fsmb.org) launched its Internet Clearinghouse in September 2000 to help state medical boards and attorneys general, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was established in 1973 by President richard m. nixon as part of the Justice Department, thus uniting a number of federal drug agencies that had often worked at cross-purposes. , and other medical regulatory agencies initiate formal action to stop practices that endanger patient safety and welfare. In nearly two years of undercover operations, FSMB's Internet Clearinghouse has identified more than 300 Web sites and 20 physicians providing questionable prescription services. Information provided to regulatory authorities has led to disciplinary and legal actions against eight physicians. Additional investigations are pending. |
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