I understand why these rules feel strict, but they are there to prevent any situation that looks like a company is trying to influence a physician’s decisions. Bringing a spouse to a business dinner doesn’t really serve any professional purpose, so companies are not allowed to pay for that meal. Even if it seems polite, it can easily be interpreted as a gift or benefit, which goes against Advamed guidelines. Keeping meetings limited to the people directly involved helps avoid misunderstandings and keeps everything ethical. These restrictions ultimately protect both the physician and the company from any appearance of conflict of interest.