Industry Payments to Pediatricians in the United States Between 2013 and 2021

Financial relationships between physicians and the health care industry sometimes lead to conflicts of interest and need to be properly managed. Using the Open Payments Database between 2013 and 2021, this cross-sectional analysis examined the industry payments made to physicians whose primary specialty was pediatrics. Descriptive analyses were performed for the payment data overall and other pediatrician demographics. Of 99 764 eligible pediatricians, 59 984 (60.1%) received a total of $297 million (12.8%) in general and $2 billion in research payments over the 9 years. Median 9-year per-physician payments were $288 (interquartile range [IQR]: $88-$958) in general and $65 343 (IQR: $16 763-$255 208) in research payments. Male pediatricians were 1.06 (95% CI: 1.05-1.09, P < .001) and 1.56 (95% CI: 1.49-1.65, P < .001) times more likely to receive general and associated research payments than female pediatricians, respectively. The number of pediatricians receiving general payments annually decreased by 1.5% (95% CI: -1.7% to -1.4%, P < .001).

Automated summary

This study analyzed the financial relationships between pediatricians and the health care industry using a database. The results showed that 60.1% of pediatricians received a total of $297 million in payments over 9 years. Male pediatricians were more likely to receive general and research payments. The number of pediatricians receiving general payments annually decreased.