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Doctors receiving kickbacks 14.5 times more likely to prescribe opioids

A first-of-its-kind study confirms what we all suspected: doctors receiving payments from drug companies are more likely to prescribe those drugs than cheaper alternatives.

Doctor receiving cash A review of Medicare Part D prescription data found that physicians receiving at least one industry payment from a pharmaceutical company for any specific brand-name drug were five times more likely to prescribe that drug over alternatives. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Doctors who took money from opioid manufacturers were 14.5 times more likely to prescribe those drugs over similar alternatives, according to CareDash.com’s report.”Possible Side Effects: Investigating the Connection Between Payments from Pharmaceutical Companies and the Prescribing Habits of Physicians.”

The study, which cross-linked Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments data from 2014 through 2016 with Medicare Part D prescription data, also found that physicians receiving at least one industry payment from a pharmaceutical company for any specific brand-name drug were five times more likely to prescribe that drug over alternatives, including lower cost generic drugs. Between 2014 and 2016, physicians in the U.S. received a total of $6.2 billion in payments from pharmaceutical companies.

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Katie Kuehner-Hebert

Katie Kuehner-Hebert

Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.

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