Background: The Open Payments Program (OPP) was implemented to publicly disclose industry payments to physicians, enabling patients to be aware of conflicts of interests. We previously published results from the first 5 months of OPP data. In this study we describe an additional 12 months of payments made to transplant physicians.

METHODS: Using the OPP data Aug 2013-Dec 2014, we calculated industry payments made to transplant physicians.

RESULTS: In total, 723 transplant physicians received $4,619,205.79. Per physician the median (IQR) was $420 (121-1,905), maximum $571,115. Of all transplant physicians, 64% received <$100, 25% between $100-$999, 10 % between $1,000- $9,999 and 0.3% >$100,000. The two major payment categories were speaker fees (39%) made to 625 transplant physicians, followed by consulting fees (22%) to 379 physicians. A total of 11,340 companies made payments ranging from $2-$486,585, of which 5 companies comprised 48% of all payments. An increase of 10 units of a physicians h-index had 30% higher chances of receiving $1 000 or more, (RR=_1.181.30_1.44, p<0.001). Centers receiving Sanofi payments of >$1,000 used more Thymoglobulin 76% (67-68) versus 51% (19-68), p<0.14.

CONCLUSION: With continued surveillance of industry payments it may be possible to study the causal relationships between industry and the field of organ transplantation.

CITATION INFORMATION: Ahmed R, Chow E, Bae S, Massie A, King E, Orandi B, Lopez J, Lonze B, Segev D. Here Comes the Sun: Industry's Payments to Transplant Physicians. Am J Transplant. 2016;16 (suppl 3).

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