The rise of bogus healthcare conferences

When a reporter and a researcher from Nature arrived at the 25th Global Nephrology, Urology and Kidney Failure Congress, held at a 4-star hotel in London, they were surprised to find it existed largely in name only. The nephrology conference was described as “shambolic”—and the journal said the number of these lackluster events may be on the rise.

After being unable to find a sign for the event, an organizer allegedly told the outlet that the conference was being held alongside others, offering a variety of incongruous lectures that included topics such as dentistry and antibiotics. Nephrology seemed like an afterthought.

Much like low-value and predatory journals, conferences such as these are on the rise and all they offer is “weak or no peer review for presentations, poor organization, and a focus on making the organizers money,” according to Nature

Reporters said posters for the event remained wrapped, and there was little evidence an event was taking place. Further, what was supposed to be an all-day affair ended abruptly shortly after noon.

Experts interviewed by Nature suspect these conferences are popping up more frequently, ranging from low-effort to outright fraudulent. However, they’re happy to charge registration fees from journalists, vendors and researchers lured into attending from across the globe.

Read the feature at the link below for more.

Chad Van Alstin Health Imaging Health Exec

Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.

Around the web

When drugs are on the FDA’s shortage list, outsourcing facilities can produce their own compounded versions. When the FDA removed tirzepatide from that list with no warning, it created a considerable amount of chaos both behind the scenes and in pharmacies all over the country. 

If passed, this bill would help clinician-led clinical registries explore Medicare data for research purposes. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology both shared public support for the bipartisan legislation. 

Cardiologists and other physicians may soon need to provide much more information when ordering remote patient monitoring for Medicare patients.

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup