Dive Brief:
- At least 2,300 doctors with disciplinary records received industry payments from drug and device makers between August 2013 and December 2015, according to a ProPublica investigation.
- Most were reprimanded for minor infractions, like missing continuing medical education credits. Some had committed serious offenses, including sexual misconduct and tax evasion.
- While some drug and device makers perform stringent background checks on doctors receiving payments, others are more relaxed and continue payments even after disciplinary action.
Dive Insight:
Disciplinary records don’t always prevent doctors from being paid by drug and device makers. At least 400 drug and device makers have issued industry payments to doctors with disciplinary records in the form of speaking, consulting, and teaching fees, as well as travel and gifts.
ProPublica reached these conclusions by comparing disciplinary records from California, Texas, New York, Florida, and New Jersey against CMS data on industry payments to doctors. Of the approximately 2,300 disciplined doctors receiving payments, at least 40 had their licenses revoked, at least 180 had their licenses suspended, and nearly 250 were placed on probation.
In some cases, industry payments from drug and device makers continued even after disciplinary action was taken against a doctor. For instance, one drug maker paid $60,000 to a doctor in the year after he was disciplined for improperly administering anesthesia to a patient who was left with brain damage.
Drug and device makers may not always be aware of a doctor’s disciplinary record. Several drug makers claimed as much after an earlier ProPublica investigation, published November 2010, looked into industry payments to disciplined doctors.