2016 Open Payments Data was released on Friday, June 30, 2017. In 2016, the total dollar amount of payments totaled $8.18 billion. The total amount of general payments made amounted to $2.80 billion; the total amount of research payments amounted to $4.36 billion; and the value of ownership or investment interest totaled $1.02 billion.
Where Did The Money Go?
The $8.18 billion was given to 631,000 clinicians and 1,146 teaching hospitals. Drug and device makers are required to report any “transfer of value” of $10 or more, or transfers of value that add up to more than $100 per year.
Roughly 75% of the $2.8 billion ($2.07 billion) in general payments went to clinicians, including physicians, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists, and chiropractors. Teaching hospitals received $724.51 million in general payments.
Research payments largely went to teaching hospitals: $867.95 million, compared to the $95.21 million that went to physicians. The physician research payment total includes payments where the company making the payment has named a physician as the primary recipient, as well as payments to a research institution or entity where a physician is named as a principal investigator on the research project.
Year to Year Comparisons
The below tables show comparisons of different data points over the past few years.
The above table compares the percent change in total payments and records. The percent change in payments and interest from 2015 to 2016 totaled 1.11% ($8.09 billion to $8.18 billion).
The above table compares the percent changes in three different payment categories: general payments (4.5%); research payments (-2%); and ownership interest (6.3%).
The above table compares the 2014 to 2016 change in number of companies reporting (-8.24%); physicians receiving payments (.96%); and teaching hospitals receiving payments (1.69%).
Medscape joined the “fake news” craze, by stating the increase was 8.8% from last year’s payments. However, the actual rise was less than 1.1%.
Conclusion
Visitors to the CMS Open Payments website can look up individual clinicians and hospitals to see what they have received from drug and device makers and compare their payments to national and specialty averages.