Dollars for Docs What Drug Companies are Paying Your Doctor

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Drug companies have long kept secret details of the payments they make to doctors for promoting their drugs. But seven companies have begun posting names and compensation on the Web, some as the result of legal settlements. ProPublica compiled these disclosures, totaling $282 million, into a single database that allows patients to search for their doctor. Receiving payments isn’t necessarily wrong, but it does raise ethical issues.

Using the ProPublica database

 Checking the list

ProPublica's "Dollars for Docs" database is online at http://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/

The database can be used to see if a doctor has received money from pharmaceutical companies. Keep in mind, however, that some doctors have common or similar names.

Also keep in mind that payments are legal and the database is limited to seven of more than 70 pharmaceutical companies in the United States. If your doctor isn't on the list, you can still ask your doctor whether he or she has any financial relationships with drug companies. If so, ask for the names of companies, the nature of each relationship and the duration.


If your doctor is on the list, or has received money from other drug companies, ask:

• Are the medications you are taking made by the company or companies that paid him or her? If the answer is yes, ask the following:
• Is this a new drug and does it offer an advantage over an established medicine that's less expensive?
• How does the drug compare to others in its class and what side effects come with it?
• Are there alternatives with fewer side effects?
• Are there nondrug alternatives, such as diet or physical therapy?
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