How much money is your GI getting from drug companies?

Check your doctor using this handy website.

https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/


This is what my former GI received 2013-2014. I've included payments over $100.

PRODUCT NAME/PRODUCT TYPE/PAYMENTS
UCERIS
Drug
$5,210

ENTYVIO
Drug
$4,657

HUMIRA
Drug
$348

SIMPONI
Drug
$165

REMICADE
Drug
$140

TYSABRI
Drug
$100

XIAFLEX
Drug
$90


This is what my current GI received in the same time period (also only amounts over $100):

PRODUCT NAME/PRODUCT TYPE/PAYMENTS

HUMIRA
Drug
$107

I suspected my former GI was too focused on only one or two treatment options. I'm happy my current doctor isn't raking in the $$ from drug manufacturers.

Very cool

Wow that is shocking.  My former GI in private practice received very little nothing to get excited about it.   My new GI that I was referred to at an IBD clinic linked to a University received $110k in 2013-2014.    $70,000 from Humira alone.

kiptyn said...
Check your doctor using this handy website.

https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/

Really surprised its not more given the way he pushed humira.

Thank you kiptyn!
Was this information required by the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare?

There is an ongoing debate whether doctors should start out prescribing a milder oral mesalamine for maintenance with rectal meds as needed. Many here have found that effective especially if they also try to avoid triggering foods.

The alternative is that some doctors prefer to prescribe the big gun meds, biologics and immunosuppressants with all their risky side effects, from the getgo. The next time a newbie ponders this question I will recommend they first look at the above website to see if their doctor is receiving kickbacks from the drug maker.

My GI doc got several small amounts with the highest being $429 from Humira. I had a feeling he wouldn't be very high on the list. He seems pretty up and up.

Attention Moderators: Should this link somehow be included in the resources thread?

garylouisville said...
Attention Moderators: Should this link somehow be included in the resources thread?

Sure, done. It's added to the 1st post. www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=1666318&g=1666318#m1666318

The do not get money when they prescribe. there are no kickbacks.

The drug reps have to disclose food and beverage, and if they provide a weekend seminar. You can easily get a few hundred, and if any seminar is attended you can get a few thousand.

IT is good that these funds are disclosed.

But do you think any doc who is making several hundred thousand a year really cares about less than $10k, most of which was eaten by his/her office staff.

It is just not a factor in most cases.

I agree with DB for the most part except that most GI's had probably had at some time over $100,000 in student loans that they have to pay back. Still, it has to make you wonder when someone shows up on the list with over $100,000 reported and my GI reports a total of a little over $2,000 then it's hard to believe that one doc is just as impartial and unprejudiced as the other. I guess you could argue that the $100,000 doc is more knowledgeable due to attending all of these seminars when the other doc did not. I think as with anything in life, you have to look at the big picture and not automatically condemn someone without knowing all the facts.

Look at the website, some of those doctors were paid thousands of times during the year for millions of dollars, one doctor receive $43.9 million. Apparently there are some doctors who are making a substantial amount of money from drug companies.

It is really a good idea to make sure that your doctor isn't one of them, for example, prescribing Enbrel after he received thousands in payments from Pfizer. Actually that is a good investment for the drug company since each patient will have to shell out about $20,000 per year on that drug.

This reminds me of politicians who say money has no effect on their policies even after collecting from fat cat donors. I guess all those stupid contributors are wasting their money giving to lawmakers who are not affected at all by where their campaign contributions are coming from. LoL

Suspicions about your doctor are not just lunatic fringe paranoia. Some doctors really don't have their patients' best interest. Here is an example of a multiple sclerosis patient who loses trust in her neurologist because of his ties to drug companies:

washingtonpost
”Was my doctor loyal to me, or to the drug companies?”

NSSG, I thought he was found out cuz some patients died that did not have cancer but were getting chemo from that dirt-bag doc?

pb4 said...
NSSG, I thought he was found out cuz some patients died that did not have cancer but were getting chemo from that dirt-bag doc?

I am sure it's happened more than once sadly. The news story I saw just just a few weeks ago. Really disgusting. I thought he was found out by a younger doctor who was helping out at the practice. I could be wrong. They really didn't go too deep into the story - people popping out babies and the weather are more important than this stuff I guess.

I don't think doctors receiving reasonable amounts of money and training from pharma companies are a problem as long as it doesn't affect the options they consider for treatment.

My first GI rushed me onto Remicade. My second GI asked me why I'd chosen Remicade and not easier-to-administer options like 6MP or Humira. Those had never been mentioned. Was it because my first GI really believed that Remicade would work best or because he'd make $200 (made up number) for every infusion I received? Was it because the Remicade drug rep offered all-expenses-paid training trips to Hawaii to doctors who prescribe Remicade often enough? Maybe he knew more about Remicade than other drugs because the other drugtraining sessions were in boring locations so he didn't bother to learn more? I'll never know.