Background: Industry payments to physicians are common, but it is unknown how the payments in different categories to radiologists compare to other specialties.
Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the proportion of industry payments to physicians in radiology in certain categories relative to other specialties.
Methods: The Open Payments Database was analyzed from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021 for industry payments to all allopathic & osteopathic physicians, and classified into distinct clinical specialties. Payments to physicians in three categories were calculated in relation to total payments in each specialty during the study period: consulting fees, research, and royalties/ownership (royalty, license, or current or prospective ownership or investment).
Results: The total value of industry payments to physicians across all specialties was just under $13 billion over the six-year period from 2017 to 2022. During this period, 51.4 million total payments were made to 791,746 physicians. US physicians in radiology received 452,027 payments for a total value of $357 million (2.8 % of total value). For radiologists, 32.8 % of industry payment value was attributed to royalties/ownership and 9.9 % to research, collectively adding up to 42.7 % of all industry payment. The only specialties with higher payments in these two categories considered reflective of innovation payments were the surgical specialties with higher royalty payments.
Conclusion: The proportion of industry payments in radiology in categories reflecting innovation (royalty/ownership and research fees) is high and second only to surgical specialties.
Keywords: Open payments; Radiology; Specialties.
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