More Industry Payments at Decreased Amounts Going to Cardiac Electrophysiologists

The number of industry payments to cardiac electrophysiologists in the United States appears to be growing, although average payment amounts are decreasing, according to a study published online in Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology. 

“The need for transparency in financial relationships in the healthcare system has culminated in Open Payments database, managed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),” wrote researchers in the Mayo Clinic’s department of cardiovascular diseases. “Since its inception in 2013, the trend in such payments to physicians practicing cardiac electrophysiology was not examined.”

To fill the research gap, investigators analyzed payment information reported to CMS by cardiac electrophysiologists between January 2013 and December 2018. 

In 2014, 88,877 industry payments were reported, according to the study. By 2018, the number had grown 18% to total 105,000 industry payments that year. 

“Despite the increase in the total number of payments reported, the average payment steadily decreased over time,” researchers wrote, “resulting in an overall reduction in the total amount of payments from 2014 to 2018 ($34.9 million to $28.2 million).” 

Industry payments were reported by 2888 different physicians practicing cardiac electrophysiology in 2018. The median payment amount across a total 105,000 payments that year was $1378. The majority were for food and beverage, researchers noted, while 10% were for travel and lodging. 

The top five industry payers identified in the study were Boston Scientific, Medtronic Vascular, Abbott Laboratories, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Biotronik. 

—Jolynn Tumolo 

Reference

Tseng AS, Hu TY, Lee JZ, et al. Trends in reported industry payments to physicians practicing cardiac electrophysiology from 2013 to 2018 in the United States [published online ahead of print, 2020 Sep 21]. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2020;10.1111/jce.14754. doi:10.1111/jce.14754