Find Out With the Help of This Tool Your Doctor’s Contacts With Large Pharmaceutical Organizations
Pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers donate money to doctors and educational institutions for a variety of reasons. Last year, ProPublica found that most doctors charge fees, and those who do are more likely to prescribe brand name drugs. Can payments cloud your doctor’s opinion?The Dollars for Docs database can’t tell you for sure, but it can at least give you the dollar amount.
The data only includes doctors (not physician assistants or nurse practitioners), and it also does not include payments related to research or doctor-owned company. Pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers are required under the Physician Payments Act, part of the ACA, to disclose who they pay and how much; The ProPublica tool uses this data up to 2015.
Some payments are small: I found that my surgeon had accepted $ 115 worth of food and drink a few years ago (it may have been industry-provided lunch). Meanwhile, some doctors have millions of dollars in payments for royalties, promotional appearances, or other connections they have with drug and device manufacturers. If you’re wondering where your doctor is standing, browsetheDocument Dollarsdatabasehere .