In Minnesota, Drug Company Reports of Payments to Doctors Arrive Riddled With Mistakes

Dec. 10, 2010, 9 a.m.

A new federal plan will require drug and medical device companies to report all payments to U.S. physicians in 2013. The danger? As Minnesota discovered, some information submitted may not be accurate.

Drug Firms Say They’ll Take Closer Look at the Docs They Pay

Nov. 17, 2010, 11:35 p.m.

Seven drug companies paid $7.1 million to 292 doctors who faced disciplinary action or other regulatory sanctions, ProPublica found. Several companies say they may take steps to tighten screening procedures for physicians who are paid as speakers or for other activities promoting prescription drugs.

Dollars for Docs: Who’s On Pharma’s Top-Paid List?

Nov. 1, 2010, 6:28 a.m.

A review of the highest-earning physicians in ProPublica’s Dollars for Docs database offers insight into why some medical professionals are drawn to the lucrative sideline of public speaking to promote favored drugs.

Lawsuits Say Pharma Illegally Paid Doctors to Push Their Drugs

Oct. 18, 2010, 10:55 p.m.

Pharma companies are being accused in lawsuits of paying doctors to push off-label uses of their drugs or financially rewarding doctors for prescribing their brand-name medications.

Docs on Pharma Payroll Have Blemished Records, Limited Credentials

Oct. 18, 2010, 10:52 p.m.

Hundreds of doctors paid by pharmaceutical companies to promote their drugs have been accused of professional misconduct, were disciplined by state boards or lacked credentials as researchers or specialists, ProPublica has found. We compiled data from seven companies, covering $257.8 million in payouts since 2009 for speaking, consulting and other duties

States Fail to Report Disciplined Caregivers to Federal Database

July 19, 2010, 4:48 a.m.

Hundreds of state agencies have failed to tell the federal government about health professionals they disciplined, ProPublica has learned, meaning frontline workers who have a record of on-the-job misconduct, incompetence or criminal acts aren’t flagged to potential employers.

Troubled Nurses Skip from State to State Under Compact

July 14, 2010, 11:16 p.m.

A 24-state compact has provided cover for nurses suspected of negligence or misconduct, leaving them free to work across nearly half the country and potentially put patients in jeopardy.

Timeline: Allied’s Trail of Sanctions

July 2, 2010, 4:02 p.m.

Texas Mortgage Firm Survives and Thrives Despite Repeat Sanctions

July 1, 2010, 11:24 p.m.

Despite repeated regulatory sanctions across more than a dozen states, Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corp. continues to be a major FHA lender. Borrowers in Louisiana, West Virginia allege that Allied brokers misled them and diverted funds. 

Head of Allied Home Mortgage Has Had a Bumpy Journey

July 1, 2010, 11:20 p.m.

Jim Hodge started what became one of the biggest mortgage operators the same year his previous savings and loan was seized and sold by the Resolution Trust Corporation.

California Eyes Discipline for 2,000 Nurses Sanctioned by Other States

June 27, 2010, 6 p.m.

After ProPublica and the Los Angeles Times found hundreds of California nurses had been sanctioned elsewhere for neglect, drug use and criminal conduct, the state’s nursing board ran checks that uncovered thousands of similar cases.

Schwarzenegger Loses Bid to Fix Oversight of Health Care Professionals

April 23, 2010, 8:39 a.m.

Union Pressure Exacts a Toll on California Bill to Overhaul Health Care Oversight

April 20, 2010, 11:19 a.m.

Unions Take Fire at Bill to Revamp California Health Care Oversight

April 16, 2010, 12:48 p.m.

Reporting Recipe: How You Can Investigate Your State’s Oversight of Its Nurses

March 3, 2010, 5:38 p.m.

Feds Reassign Heads of Troubled Caregivers Database

March 1, 2010, 9:41 p.m.

Tracking Nurses—What You Need to Know

Feb. 22, 2010, 1:13 p.m.

How easy does your state make it to investigate licensed nurses online?

Dangerous Caregivers Missing From Federal Database

Feb. 15, 2010, 3:04 a.m.

Schwarzenegger’s Budget Calls for Increased Policing of Health Care Workers

Jan. 9, 2010, 5:53 a.m.