Checking Physician's connection to Pharmaceuticals

[cccourt1942]

Last night I heard about the site below.  The information was shared on a news program as a "bonus" to come out of the health act in the United States.  One can access this site, put a doctor's name in and learn in a few seconds how much money made thru a pharmaceutical company for any given year.  This can include pushing certain drugs all the way to promoting the drugs via lectures and presentations.

I have not put a doctor's name in which gave any info yet.

Also..this is so reminiscent to me.....somewhere along the line I think I have seen this before.  So..sorry if this is a repeat.

www.openpaymentsdata.CMS.gov

Have fun.

[Pisces24]

I've found a problem is most insurance companies will have the dr start with the "mild" medicine first. I get prescribed amoxicillian and that is like tic-tacs to me - does nothing. I really have to 'fight" to get em to prescribe something stronger when I need it.

My gp uses the info more to learn than to push the drugs the companies send/want. He does get "samples" and has them to give to patients that could not afford the medicine. Not sure if other drs still do that. Course I am 57 and I am only on my 2nd gp.

[Dry-Di]

Thanks c3!

I know what I will be doing for the evening...

[litliwlowa]

Ohhh c3, that is a new site to me - via the Medicare site.

There is another site but I can't recall - okay I found it.

http://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/

I looked up my endo on both the site c3 provided and he did not come up.

However, he most assuredly came up on the second link. He mostly gets paid for speaking engagements according to the reported data.

Same with my rheumy - not on the CMS site but certainly was on the second site.

But I have to add that neither specialist is pushing new pharma on me. And what they have received is nominal at best. Endo for speaking engagements for the most part. Rheumy a meal (must have been filet mignon with bernaise sauce, French Onion soup and Escargots appetizers, - shut me up I am making myself hungry...

[Nomad]

Wow, how timely.  I wanted to ask something about this.  I saw a similar site used by journalists, I think.  I heard a rumor that my doc who treats my lupus and SS takes a lot of money from pharm. companies.  So much so, that there was a little article in the newspaper about it...which I missed.

When I looked it up (on one of these links) the amount of money he has taken is staggering. VERY Large fees for speaking etc. 

My other docs either had nothing or something like one dinner for $200... For the entire year.  He doesn't know I looked it up. 

He is very nervous around me. What happened was...

He tried to push me to take a osteo. Medication against my will.  I heard a rumor that he has a huge percentage of his patients on the same med.  I had a normal bone density test, but there are some extenuating factors that might make me a candidate to take the medicine...but it is debatable.  He made it sound like it is a matter of life and death.

A woman that has written books on osteoporosis offers consultation services and I paid her for a consultation and she said I should not  take it. 

When I told hem I did this, every time I come to the office, he is a nervous wreck around me.

He seems to know a lot about AI illnesses, is generally well thought of and kind, but all of this is bothering me.

He has much interest in Lupus...little in SS.

I'm saddened by it all.  He is very well respected, especially when it comes to the tx of Lupus.

I've actually tried to comfort him reminding him that he basically saved my life when I was in a lupus flare years ago and was pregnant. 

But, he is still very nervous around me.

Any thoughts? Weird, right???

[litliwlowa]

He tried to push me to take a osteo. Medication against my will.  I heard a rumor that he has a huge percentage of his patients on the same med.  I had a normal bone density test, but there are some extenuating factors that might make me a candidate to take the medicine...but it is debatable.  He made it sound like it is a matter of life and death.

That's what my endo did with Prolia when it was NEW. I suspect I was inadvertently without my knowledge or consent put in a market trial.

It was all very weird actually. They had my rX coverage information, but the manufacturer kept calling me to shove me into a gov program to help pay a stated to be $150 co-pay. This happened several times over the course of weeks. I was SO FRUSTRATED by the whole thing I dropped my situational awareness and did not do my homework IN ADVANCE.

I had a HORRIBLE reaction to it within 24 hrs including but not limited to every bit of my gums were so grossly inflammed it was excruciating to even breathe. Then fever on top of that, neuromuscular crap affected my whole body etc etc. I had to get a walker to get around with for several weeks.

What a learning experience that was. Precisely why I don't do biologicals except as a very very LAST resort.

[cccourt1942]

I heard a rumor that my doc who treats my lupus and SS takes a lot of money from pharm. companies.  So much so, that there was a little article in the newspaper about it...which I missed...

He tried to push me to take a osteo. Medication against my will. 

What was the medicine?  I am asking as Prolia (which litli mentions) was one of my two choices:  I chose Fosamax...for osteoporosis.  The side effects are gruesome AND scary.  I did look up my dr...a doctor to whom I have used over a 40 year period. (gynecologist)  He has zero special income from the site's info.

I hate taking this medicine.  Can you tell me??
Thx, c3

[Nomad]

It was Fosamax. My doctor is taking a lot of money from various pharm. companies, but in all fairness, I did not check to see who makes Fosamax.

[irish]

You know, this is a very tricky subject. It isn't good to take money for anything as far as I am concerned. All I know is that with the amount of drugs being brought on the market there is no way on earth that the doctors can keep up if it weren't for their pharmaceutical reps. In a free market the salesmen push the product and the customer(doctor) prescribes it or gives out the free product.

I know that I have benefited from free products at times. I also know that it is hard as a patient to make an informed decision unless you do all the research. It should be noted that many times certain drugs(antibiotics) are used first in hopes that the infection will respond. The docs don't like to use the big gun antibiotics unless they have to as so many infections are getting resistant.

There are other meds that may be older and cheaper and docs will order them first as they are more familiar with them or they may want to save a patient some money. Then there are the docs who order all the new stuff and they have no clue how much they cost until the patient tells them. This is not a very practical system that we use but it is all we have at the moment.

It is interesting how medication and medical devices have ended up being big business items. My hubby was in sales and I am familiar with the sales meetings, the "top producer" awards and free trips, etc that were given to the sales reps. Interesting enough a lot of the big companies have cut out or cut down on a lot of that stuff due to the cost and also the legal liability for providing the "hospitality" rooms that offered the free drinks. Apparantly the pharmaceutical companies haven't caught up with this concept yet. My opinion. Irish

[Nomad]

Yes, It is a confusing and tricky  topic. I have a good doctor, I think. But the excessive receipt of of very high fees combined with the frequent prescriptions for the same meds, makes it a POSSIBLE conflict of interest. Ive heard it said in  Various professions, that one should not even allow oneself to APPEAR to be doing something inappropriate. I think a possible solution would be to put a cap on the dollar amount doctors are allowed to take in per year in total fees from pharm. companies. Just a thought. A potential win/win. Medicine, IMHO, is a special exception, as we are dealing with people's health and even possible life if the doctor is unduly influenced.

[litliwlowa]

Yes, It is a confusing and tricky  topic. I have a good doctor, I think. But the excessive receipt of of very high fees combined with the frequent prescriptions for the same meds, makes it a POSSIBLE conflict of interest. Ive heard it said in  Various professions, that one should not even allow oneself to APPEAR to be doing something inappropriate. I think a possible solution would be to put a cap on the dollar amount doctors are allowed to take in per year in total fees from pharm. companies. Just a thought. A potential win/win. Medicine, IMHO, is a special exception, as we are dealing with people's health and even possible life if the doctor is unduly influenced.

I just read an article the other day (cant recall whose article and I read lots daily) that there is supposed to be a cap.

Here is an older article from 2013 re: pharma kickbacks. I don't know the outcome of the case or if it is still in litigation.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/April13/NovartisLawsuitPR.php

Here's a blog post also written Feb 2015: http://pharmaceutical-kickbacks.com/are-pharmaceutical-manufacturers-influencing-pbm-formularies/

Actually, when I search engined pharma kickbacks to docs - in recent years there's been a number of reports involving major players in the pharma industry

2015: http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/astrazeneca-pay-79-million-kickback-settlement-over-nexium-drug

1999: http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/docs/safeharborregulations/safefs.htm
(Federal AntiKickback Statute)