Dollars for Docs Mints a Millionaire
New data show drugmakers’ payments to hundreds of thousands of doctors, and some have made well over $500,000. More »
Med Schools Flunk at Keeping Faculty Off Pharma Speaking Circuit
Top U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals have failed to adequately enforce policies that restrict faculty physicians for being paid for speaking by drug companies. More »
Financial Ties Bind Medical Societies to Drug and Device Makers
Professional groups like the Heart Rhythm Society write guidelines on treatments and the use of medical devices, but researchers say their acceptance of sponsorships and grants from drug and device makers poses a conflict of interest that many patients never consider. More »
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updates since last visitPay to Prescribe? Two Dozen Doctors Named in Novartis Kickback Case
The drug maker denies wrongdoing, but the Justice Department and a whistleblower say Novartis used cash and meals to get doctors to prescribe its drugs.
Heart of Nerd Darkness: Why Updating Dollars for Docs Was So Difficult
We updated Dollars for Docs last week. Why is updating it so difficult?
Dollars for Docs Mints a Millionaire
New data show drugmakers’ payments to hundreds of thousands of doctors, and some have made well over $500,000.
About the Dollars for Docs Data
Details behind our drug company money database.
Feds to Publicize Drug and Device Company Payments to Doctors Next Year
After a long delay, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published final rules for the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which would bring transparency to financial relationships between physicians and industry.
Chatting With the Reporters Behind Dollars for Docs
Charlie Ornstein and Tracy Weber talk about the money docs get from drug companies, and why it matters.
American Pain Foundation Shuts Down as Senators Launch Investigation of Prescription Narcotics
Sens. Baucus and Grassley demand evidence of financial support from the drug industry to nonprofit groups that advocate use of opioid painkillers, including the newly defunct American Pain Foundation.
Allergan Erases Doctor Payment Records
You can still find some older Allergan payments in ProPublica's Dollars for Docs database, along with data from 11 other drug companies.
Senate Watchdog Targets High-Prescribing Medicaid Docs
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, wants to know why an Ohio doctor wrote 54 prescriptions per weekday for the antipsychotic Abilify, while the biggest prescriber of Seroquel wrote an average nine prescriptions per hour.
Drug Companies Reduce Payments to Doctors as Scrutiny Mounts
Continued reporting on the influence of pharmaceutical money on medicine spurred tighter rules at medical schools across the nation.
The Champion of Painkillers
The annual death toll from overdoses of painkillers has reached almost 15,000, prompting the head of the CDC o term it an "epidemic." But the American Pain Foundation continues to claim the risks are overblown. The advocacy group's biggest supporter? The drug industry.
Two Leaders in Pain Treatment Have Long Ties to Drug Industry
American Pain Foundation board members Scott Fishman and Perry Fine, both physicians, have lectured and authored publications funded by makers of narcotic painkillers. They say the support doesn’t bias them.
Government Runs Late With Rules For Disclosing Drug Company Payments to Doctors
The agency responsible for administering health care reform, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, published proposed rules last night, well after its Oct. 1 deadline.
Florida Sanctions Top Medicaid Prescribers — But Only After A Shove
Medicaid programs have long had evidence that a few physicians prescribed risky drugs in excess, but it wasn’t until Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, demanded to know the top prescribers that states began to investigate.
Government Misses Deadline for Rules Forcing Disclosure of Industry Payments to Doctors
The Obama administration has yet to draft rules on the disclosure of industry payments to doctors, missing a deadline set out in last year's health-care law.
Doctors Avoid Penalties in Suits Against Medical Firms
At least 15 drug and medical-device companies have paid $6.5 billion since 2008 to settle accusations of marketing fraud or kickbacks, but none of the more than 75 doctors named as participants were sanctioned.
News Reports Cite Drop in Physician Speaking Fees
Regional newspapers that analyzed ProPublica's Dollars for Docs data say drug company payments to physician speakers have declined in their states, suggesting that new restrictions and publicity are making an impact.
Patients Deserve to Know What Drug Companies Pay Their Doctor
ProPublica's newly updated Dollars for Docs database offers a glimpse of what patients can expect in 2013, when all drug and medical-device companies must report to the federal government what they pay doctors to help market their products.
Doctors Dine on Drug Companies’ Dime
Hundreds of thousands of doctors have accepted free meals from pharmaceutical companies that invite them to scientific or educational sessions. At least 20 physicians accepted more than $2,000 worth of meals from one company last year, ProPublica's Dollars for Docs database shows.
Piercing the Veil, More Drug Companies Reveal Payments to Doctors
An update of ProPublica's Dollars for Docs database includes more than $760 million in payments from 12 pharmaceutical companies to physicians and other health-care providers for consulting, speaking, research and expenses.
With Our Dollars for Docs Update Coming, Drug Companies Defend ‘Interactions’ With Physicians
As ProPublica gets ready to refresh its Dollars for Docs database listing payments from drug companies to hundreds of thousands of doctors, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America says paid physician speakers play a critical role in improving patient care.
Emails Show Drug Company Used Third-Party Medical Groups to Influence Regulators, Undercut Rivals
Two medical groups recruited to lobby the Food and Drug Administration against generic versions of a Sanofi-Aventis blood-thinner each received millions from the manufacturer.
Reports Detail More Drug Industry Ties to Medical Societies
Recommendations made by two medical societies give at least the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Medical Schools Plug Holes in Conflict-of-Interest Policies
Reacting to ProPublica's Dollars for Docs coverage, Stanford and other schools discipline doctors, rewrite policies and increase scrutiny of drug-industry ties.
Cardiac Society Draws Bulk of Funding From Stent Makers
The Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions got more than half its income in 2009 from medical device and pharmaceutical makers. This week, a study in JAMA questioned why more patients who received angioplasty and stents didn’t first receive recommended medications.
Heart Docs Reject Claims Of Bias From Industry Money
Many physicians attending the Heart Rhythm Society conference see little cause for concern in the financial ties between medical societies and industry.
Heart Society’s Tip Sheets Fail To Mention Risks
The Heart Rhythm Society says the financial support it receives from drug and medical-device makers plays no role in its advocacy for certain treatments, but does not mention potential risks in its publications.
Financial Ties Bind Medical Societies to Drug and Device Makers
Professional groups like the Heart Rhythm Society write guidelines on treatments and the use of medical devices, but researchers say their acceptance of sponsorships and grants from drug and device makers poses a conflict of interest that many patients never consider.
The Heart Rhythm Society Responds to ProPublica’s Questions
The Heart Rhythm Society a set of questions about potential conflicts of interest regarding the group’s acceptance of drug and device industry marketing money.
How the Heart Rhythm Society Sells Access
The Heart Rhythm Society’s annual conference is a marketing bonanza for drug companies and medical device makers. Use this interactive graphic to find out how companies got their names seen.
Medical Groups Shy About Detailing Industry Financial Support
Sen. Charles Grassley asked 33 health organizations who their corporate backers are, and responses show that some get half their income from the medical industry. Critics say public disclosure of industry ties is needed.
Dollars for Docs Adds Payouts from HIV Drug Maker
ViiV Healthcare, which specializes in HIV medications, disclosed paying $3.4 million in speaking and consulting fees to doctors during the first three quarters of 2010. It becomes the eighth company in Dollars for Docs database.
Dollars for Docs Sparks Policy Rewrite at Colorado Teaching Hospitals
The University of Colorado Denver and its affiliated teaching hospitals have launched an overhaul of conflict of interest policies after a ProPublica database revealed extensive ties between its faculty and pharmaceutical companies.
Scraping for Journalism: A Guide for Collecting Data
A series of programming and technical guides on how we collected data for Dollars for Docs.
Dollars for Docs Payments Approach $300 Million
ProPublica has added another $13 million in payments to our Dollars for Docs database of drug-company spending on doctors and other health professionals. That brings the total to nearly $295 million.
Drug Companies Retain Tight Control of Physicians’ Presentations
Drug companies keep strict control of materials doctors use in paid presentations about pharmaceuticals. The companies say this ensures that speakers comply with U.S. FDA regulations.
Med Schools Flunk at Keeping Faculty Off Pharma Speaking Circuit
Top U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals have failed to adequately enforce policies that restrict faculty physicians for being paid for speaking by drug companies.
In Minnesota, Drug Company Reports of Payments to Doctors Arrive Riddled With Mistakes
Drug company reports of payments to Minnesota doctors show the difficulty in obtaining accurate records.
Massachusetts Posts Pharma Payments to Health Providers
This week, Massachusetts became the first state to post an online database of payments from drug and medical device companies to the state's health care providers.
Drug Firms Say They’ll Take Closer Look at the Docs They Pay
In the wake of our Dollars for Docs investigation, drug companies say they will more closely scrutinize the docs they pay to speak or promote their drugs.
Dollars for Docs: Who’s On Pharma’s Top-Paid List?
Physicians on ProPublica’s Dollars for Docs list come from varied backgrounds, juggle big practices while promoting drugs on the side
Doctors on Pharma Payroll: What Our Partners Found
While it’s not illegal for doctors to promote prescription drugs and accept payments from drug companies, such arrangements do raise ethical questions that some institutions have found concerning enough to try to limit.
Editor’s Note: Dollars for Docs
The stories ProPublica is publishing today on the drug industry are part of a broader effort to expand the possibilities of collaborative journalism.
Lawsuits Say Pharma Illegally Paid Doctors to Push Their Drugs
In lawsuits, former drug reps say that doctors were paid to push off-label uses of drugs.
Docs on Pharma Payroll Have Blemished Records, Limited Credentials
Hundreds of doctors paid to promote companies’ drugs have been accused of professional misconduct, disciplined by state boards or lacked credentials, ProPublica has found.
Consumer Reports: Most Patients Worry About Pharma Payments to Doctors
Patients worry that a doctor who gets paid to promote a drug could impact the care they get, a survey shows.
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Our Dollars for Docs Database
We compiled two million records from all the companies that have disclosed their payments to doctors so far. Search for your physician.
Look Up Your Doctor in Our "Dollars for Docs" Database
March 11, 2013: We have added over one million new records to our database and plan periodic future updates.
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