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The Open Payments Database and Financial Relationships Between Plastic Surgeons and Industry
Samuel Boas BS, Lesley Summerville ScM, Kelsey Isbester BS, Anand Kumar MD
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH.
2019-01-31
Presenter: Samuel Boas
Affidavit:
The majority of this project is the unique work of the medical student involved.
Director Name: Anand Kumar MD
Author Category: Medical Student
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: General Reconstruction
Significance: The Physician Payments Sunshine Act (PPSA) was designed to increase transparency around financial relationships between doctors and industry. This study will analyze research and non-research payments to plastic surgeons in 2017 from the CMS Open Payments Database (OPD).
Methods: We computed the percentage of plastic surgeons receiving payment, the median/ mean payments per plastic surgeon, payment categories, regional trends and sponsors from the OPD. We calculated the total number of practicing plastic surgeons from the Association of American Medical Colleges State Physician Workforce data book, 2017. Statistical analysis was preformed using SPSS statistics program.
Results: There were approximately 6,161 plastic surgeons receiving 58,122 payments totaling $26,266,929. Approximately 87% of plastic surgeons nationwide received payment. The median payment per physician was $214. Payments to the top 10% of compensated plastic surgeons totaled $24,133,430 (92% total). Food and beverage was the most common payment type (80% total). Royalties or licenses received greatest amount of payment ($9,651,062, 36.75%). The greatest amount of payments was made in relation to botox ($6,659,335, 25.35%). Allergan Inc. was the largest sponsor of non-research payments ($13,130,688, 50%). Forty-six plastic surgeons received payments related to research totaling $497,063 (median=$1,638). The largest sponsor of research payments was Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation INC ($251,730, 51%).
Conclusion: The majority of plastic surgeons receive payments from industry. The most common forms of payment are food and beverage, but the largest overall payment is from royalties and licenses. Future studies associating physician behavior with conflict of interest data are warranted.
