Is your doctor being paid by big pharma? Here's how to find out
How would you feel if you knew your doctor was getting paid by big pharma? Would you still trust their medical advice?
Every year, pharma and biomedical device companies spend billions on doctors' trips, meals, gifts, speaker fees, consultant fees and research funding. Due to the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, they're required to report these payments to the federal government.
Research has found that even having a single meal sponsored by a drug manufacturer was associated with a higher rate of doctors prescribing the medication the manufacturer was promoting. And some doctors, including some in Cincinnati, have received millions of dollars.
At The Enquirer, we're examining how much money local doctors are receiving from pharma companies, and we want to hear from anyone who's seen a doctor in the Greater Cincinnati area.
If you're curious about whether your doctor is receiving money from big pharma, use the instructions below to find out – and let us know – what you discover.
Search: Visit openpaymentsdata.cms.gov and enter the first and last name of your doctor into the search bar. (You can also search for nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse midwives and other non-physicians). If your doctor is in the database, their name should appear in the drop-down menu.
Observe: The result should be a page with your doctor's name at the top. Scroll to the Filters section, and under year, click all so that you can see results for all years that your doctor was paid.
Fill out our 5-minute form at tinyurl.com/CincyPharm to tell The Enquirer what you found.
Have any questions? Email Elizabeth "Betsy" Kim at ekim@enquirer.com.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How much money does your doctor get from big pharma? Find out here
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