Drug Company Payments to Texas Doctors Raise Questions
Thousands of Texas doctors, researchers and medical experts — including more than 100 who are employed by the state and are paid with taxpayer dollars — routinely supplement their salaries with income from pharmaceutical companies.
Drug companies pay medical professionals for a wide range of activities, from speaking engagements to consulting. While legal, the practice raises questions about potential conflicts, and whether the interests of patients may be compromised.
Between 2009 and early 2011, at least 25,000 Texas physicians and researchers received a combined $57 million — and probably far more — in cash payments, research money, free meals, travel and other perks ...
Comments (8)
Tex Viet Vet via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Our health care system sucks for people who can't afford it. The doctors, insurance and health care companies do quiet well though.
jpt51
So what has the CPRIT accomplished since 2007 and why does the governing board consist of unqualified political hacks like our infamous Comptroller Susan Combs, AG Greg Abbott and people like Lionel Sosa? Sosa's qualifications are similar to others on the board. “Mr. Sosa is particularly well suited for service on the Oversight Committee because of his strong ties to the South Texas community and meaningful involvement with cancer research. Mr. Sosa is an independent marketing consultant, and nationally recognized portrait artist.”
I hope your article leads to a broader investigation of CRPIT and what's happened to our $3 billion investment.
Kq Kz
You should drop "Texas" from your headline. This has long been a NATIONAL disgrace.
Comparable studies in New York State, where the legislature will not even negotiate Medicaid prices with Big Pharma, would make Texas look like the paragon of morality and good governance.
Richard Tew via Texas Tribune on Facebook
they are all complicit in the demise of the health care system.too much glad handing.
Fernando Perez via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Can you say.... Stop lawsuit abuse ?
Rudy Gonzales
There's an old adage that goes: "Money Talks, F ___s walks'! Oh! And there's another that doctors use: "See one, Do one, teach one!"
WUSRPH
The Legislature has known about state doctors being paid by drug companies for many, many years.In fact, it is a deliberate practice that the Leg. has used as a method to pay doctors more than the state salary in recognition that they could make much more in private practice. It is nothing that new. It is also why you will find many "double dipper" former militiary doctors working for the state who are drawing both their military pensions and a state salary. Hiring them is also seen as a way to cut the direct cost to the state. These are old budgeting practices that would not be allowed if the Legislature would finally gut up and admit that it has to pay more to get these kinds of services. Because it is afraid of constituents screaming about "high salaries", it has used this backdoor method to provide them.
r r
UT system (and presumably all state employees) _already_ have to get authorization for outside consulting. There is a paper trail for this but because the data is not in some easily digestible database the Tribune is too lazy to investigate. The practice goes well beyond the pharma industry. But UT system had to create a new policy because the old rules were never enforced consistently. State employees working with industry is not in and of itself a bad thing. Don't we want some research to be commercially relevant? Shouldn't industry be informed by the best cutting edge research? Transparency is the real issue. Daylight is the best protection from real/potential conflicts of interest.