A Unique Researcher Identifier for the Physician Payments Sunshine Act

The Physician Payments Sunshine Act (PPSA) promises a new era of transparency for the US health care system. Signed into law on March 23, 2010, the PPSA is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009.1 The PPSA requires medical product companies to report to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) a range of “transfers of value” to covered recipients (physicians and teaching hospitals). With some exceptions, these transfers and their value will be publicly disclosed.Governmen