Rheumatology Leads the List in Drug Company Engagements Save

Based on recently released data, ProPublica.org has compiled a list of pharmaceutical payments made to 606,000 US physicians in the last year. Their analysis turned up big differences between the different specialties. Doctors who received payments (average of $3,325) interacted with drug and device companies on 14 days last year. Physician engagements went as high as 286 out of 365 days per year.

The nation's 3,900 rheumatologists in the data averaged 40 days of interactions with drug and device companies, more than doctors in any other large specialty. They were followed closely by endocrinologists, electro physiologists and interventional cardiologists. On the other end of the spectrum, dentists, chiropractors, neonatologists and pathologists had among the fewest interactions with drug and device makers.

All told, 1,617 companies reported 15.7 million payments valued at $9.9 billion. Nearly all of those payments — 14.9 million — were classified as "general payments," covering promotional speaking, consulting, meals, travel and royalties. They totaled $3.5 billion over the 17-month period.

Rhode Island's 2700 doctors received $9.6 million in payments from pharmaceutical and medical device companies between August 2013 and December 2014 - with the top twenty five getting over $3.5 million.