Industry Payments to Nephrologists in the United States.

Karthik Kovvuru,Krishna Nalleballe,Vaishali Thombre,Swetha Rani Kanduri,Abhinandan R Pakanati,Saritha Ranabothu

doi:10.7759/cureus.17057

Abstract

BackgroundIndustry payments to physicians raise concerns about conflicts of interest that have the potential to impact patient care. In this study, we explored nonresearch and nonownership payments from industry to nephrologists to identify trends in compensation.MethodologyUsing data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), we explored financial relationships between industry and US nephrologists from 2014 to 2018. We analyzed payment characteristics including payment categories, payment distribution among physicians, regional trends, and biomedical manufacturers.ResultsIn this retrospective study, a total of $75,174,999 was paid to nephrologists in the United States during the study period (i.e., 2014-2018). The number of board-certified nephrologists receiving payment from the industry increased from 11,642 in 2014 to 13,297 in 2018. Among board-certified nephrologists, 56% to 63% received industry payments during the study period. The total payments to nephrologists increased from $13,113,512 in 2014 to $16,467,945 in 2017, with consulting fees (24%) and compensation for services other than consulting (35%) being the highest-paid categories. The top 10% of physician beneficiaries collected 90% of the total industry payments.ConclusionsA small proportion of US nephrologists consistently received the majority of industry payments, the value of which grew over the study period.

Highlights

Physicians often collaborate with organizations in the healthcare industry
The top 10% of physician beneficiaries collected 90% of the total industry payments
A small proportion of US nephrologists consistently received the majority of industry payments, the value of which grew over the study period

Summary

Introduction

94% of physicians in the United States report some relationship with the industry which ranges from receiving food to being paid for various services [1]. Even though such collaborations can encourage research and patient care, they introduce potential conflicts of interest. CMS OPP mandates public reporting of industry payments made to physicians, teaching hospitals, group purchasing organizations, and medical product manufacturers [6]. Such information about eligible payments has been available through the CMS OPP website since August 2013. We explored nonresearch and nonownership payments from industry to nephrologists to identify trends in compensation

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