By Daniel Barlow
Times Argus Online

MONTPELIER - Some lawmakers are envisioning a future where Vermonters can type in a doctor's name into an on-line database and see exactly how much - if any - money they receive from the pharmaceutical industry.

For several years now, the Vermont Attorney General's Office has issued a report detailing the amount of money those in the medical field receive from the pharmaceutical industry. But that report is criticized for not being complete or user-friendly. Now, key lawmakers say they want to see changes to the law that set up that reporting system, including stripping a trade-secret exemption that allows the industry to keep secret the amounts of money and identities of doctors they give to.