Doctors are making money – LOTS of money for prescribing drugs to you and your family. Chemotherapy kickbacks are the worst. How much are they getting? Check out the detailed infographic below for the shocking statistics. This revenue windfall absolutely has the potential to sway prescribing decisions. Any doctor who claims otherwise is in La La Land.
The practice of drug kickbacks to doctors is a big reason for the the ever increasing prices of drugs and the huge problem of drug affordability.
Not only is this practice of drug kickbacks extremely unethical, it is a danger to your health and the health of your loved ones, particularly if they are in the hospital and vulnerable to exploitation due to serious illness.
Laws that will took effect in 2013 required all pharmaceutical companies to disclose their payments to doctors. This is not enough, however, as doctors asked about their drug kickbacks usually report biased information that their patients readily believe.
Protect yourself! Â Learn the facts and check the national database that lists doctors who are receiving drug kickbacks.
Via: MedicalBillingandCoding.org
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
For Sarah, I don’t think that this applies to ALL doctors..I agree they should emphasize that this is only some doctors
However my friend recently worked as the admin position (fairly entry-level) at a cancer treatment center. I remember staring in AWE that literally every single day, she was taken out to a 5-star restaurant. Literally the best ones in Los Angeles (Mastros etc) and getting Godiva and other treats sent to her office almost daily. Keep in mind- she’s admin. Not even a doctor and she was included in the presents and dinners
Kind of blows my mind really.
This is all just not true. I am an OB/GYN in private practice I get a LOT of requests from patients, even hear in California, a healthier part of the US, for a pill to fix things. Very few patients are willing to diet and exercise.
Are doctors over prescribing drugs? probably. Does that mean it’s cuz they’re getting paid to do so? That’s not true. The vast majority of money from Pharma to MDs is in consultation fees for speaking at big talks. One of your drawings says 380 doctors were paid over 100,000 by big Pharma. There are almost ONE MILLION of us out there. There are just a handful of academics that fill these roles. The rest of us aren’t even allowed to get pens from Pharma. Do they spend money advertising, yes. But more on direct-to-consumer advertising, thanks to their huge lobbing power, that’s now legal. So all of us have patients coming in asking about the pill they saw on TV.
The biggest reason patients are on so many meds in the US is because most of them don’t want to eat right or take the time to exercise. Even those who shun “western” medicine, go to the “alternative practitioners” and spend just as much on their “herbs”. Everyone is looking for a quick fix.
Complex issues shouldn’t be lied about, unless you actually care for a solution.
Really! I as a patient have seen on numerous occassions pharmacutical compains handing out gift cards to the doctors and staff, and not to mention all the gifts, i.e. dinners, trips, etc.
My husband watches movies. A LOT of movies. We have, in the last couple years seen two that he enjoyed that I just couldn’t: Love and Other Drugs and Side Effects. While it’s true these movies are dramatized, there are just so many sources that are saying the exact same thing. “Comfortably Numb” by Charles Barber, “The Emperor’s New Drugs” by Irving Kirsch, “Death by Prescription” by Ray Strand…there are just too many people saying the same things to ignore.
The last good doctor we had was in 1990. He talked to us about nutrition and lifestyle EVERY TIME we came to him. He also discussed homeopathy, massage therapy, and any number of alternative treatments, whatever he thought might help us. His prescription pad was often his last line of defense. He does not take insurance of any kind. How I miss him.
I found mine…hmmm
Since I don’t go to any mainstream doctor, I’m sure mine isn’t on there. 🙂 And I’d be surprised if my kids’ doctor was because last time I saw him his advice was: “Yeah, keep doing the GAPS diet, that’s the best thing right now.” Yeah, a board-certified pediatrician told me that! His only concern was them getting enough vit D via cod liver oil…but he didn’t try to sell me anything, he just told me to check the dosage and make sure they were getting a particular amount. Can do, Dr….
My husband is a great doctor at a hospital. My blood pressure rises when I hear people complain about doctors, say how much money they make, and criticize them for prescribing meds.
My points:
1. They teach doctors about MEDICINE in MEDICAL SCHOOL. How to save lives.
2. Doctors don’t have time to chit-chat with everyone about nutrition and exercise because they are too over worked and dealing with paper work and families. I hear stories everyday.
3. Doctors work extremely hard to get where they are, society forgets how hard they worked, how much debt they go into to help people. All society sees is the current income.
4. I know not all doctors are honest and want the best for their patients, but it’s up to the patient to discern this and take some responsibility for themselves.
5. If you invent a drug that works and saves lives, and this takes a long time to get FDA approval, then I think you have the right to charge as much money for each pill that you want. How about we get thankful for the scientist spending so much time and energy inventing.
6. Stop complaining and take responsibility for your health! Diabetes is curable, go on the Daniel fast, see what happens.
It’s great your husband is a wonderful doctor. Some of us have had experiences with docs (who also went to “MEDICAL SCHOOL” to learn “how to save lives”) that were not so great. It’s clear from the content of this article that there are many doctors whose primary interest is making money, even at the cost of the patient’s health.
It’s interesting that you view a conversation about nutrition and exercise, that may save a patient’s health and well being at low cost, as “chit chat.” I’d view it as potentially life saving. But, that’s just me.
It’s easy to tell people to take responsibility for their own health, and in a better world probably more would. But in today’s America, where people are struggling just to get by, it’s ridiculous to think people have much time to do this kind of research. If they can afford to visit a doctor, shouldn’t they be able to be confident the doctor has THEIR best interest at heart, and not his own pocket?
One of the important points in the article is that drugs are so expensive NOT because of the research and approval process, but because of the costs of marketing them. That’s crazy. I believe we’re the ONLY developed country that permits the ads we see constantly on TV. Other countries wisely believe it’s better for the doctors to be well informed. Is it really smart for me, a non-medical person, to see an ad, think maybe that drug might help me, and go request it from the doctor? Again, it’s crazy.
You are so right Katie. I don’t fault the poor Doctor who spent so much on medical school because they care about the well being of people. I just wish they informed people about the alternatives, all the options they have and provide information where they can go for alternative treatment if that’s what they want. But that would be naïve to think they would do this. I really fault the Government, the system of the medical profession. Why over all these years, has nothing been done to steer this country in another direction? I’ll tell you why. Its all about the money. The Government is controlled by the Lobbying interest of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Industries and all the ancillary industries that profit ridiculously from this system. And we all pay in higher medical cost, drug cost, and other abuses of fraud, outright lies and misinformation and propaganda finance by this sinister System. I think you get my point. There are so may examples of these abuses that I have made it my personal ministry to fight against it.
You are getting wife of a doctor kickbacks. Of course this article upsets YOU