Clinical Report: Industry Payments to Physicians and Their Impact on Medical Device Usage

Background

Financial relationships between physicians and industry are widespread, with over $12 billion in payments reported from 2013 to 2022. The Physician Payments Sunshine Act mandates disclosure of these payments.

Data Highlights

This study linked the Open Payments Program dataset with Medicare claims data to evaluate the association between device manufacturer payments and procedure volumes performed by physicians.

Key Findings

• Over half of US physicians accepted at least one industry payment from 2013 to 2022.
• Device manufacturers direct a larger share of revenue toward physician payments compared to pharmaceutical companies.
• Payments from device manufacturers are linked to increased utilization of their corresponding devices in clinical practice.
• Temporal analyses suggest that industry payments can influence prescribing and procedural patterns among physicians.
• The study utilized a cross-sectional design and followed STROBE guidelines for observational studies.

Clinical Implications

The findings highlight the need for transparency in financial relationships between physicians and device manufacturers. Clinicians should be aware of potential biases introduced by industry payments when making clinical decisions.

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2. Compendium, 2026 -- How Integrated Payments Drive Practice Growth
3. Blood Cancer Journal, 2017 -- Financial Interests of Editorialists in Leading Medical Journals
4. JAMA Network Open, 2026 -- Receipt of Industry Payments and Surgeons’ Adoption of Robotic-Assisted Surgery
5. CMS, 2026 -- User Guide for Covered Recipients
6. Contact Lens Spectrum — EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE
7. General Compliance Program Guidance
8. User Guide for Covered Recipients
9. Receipt of Industry Payments and Surgeons’ Adoption of Robotic-Assisted Surgery | Surgery | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network