Industry Payments to Transplant Surgeons

R. Ahmed, E. Chow, A. Massie, E. King, B. Orandi, S. Bae, L. Nicholas, B. Lonze, D. Segev.

Johns Hopkins, Baltimore.

Meeting: 2015 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: D240

Keywords: Economics

Session Information

Session Name: Poster Session D: Regulatory Issues in Transplant Administration

Session Type: Poster Session

Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Session Time: 5:30pm-6:30pm

Presentation Time: 5:30pm-6:30pm

Location: Exhibit Hall E

The Open Payments Program (OPP) was implemented to publicly disclose industry payments to physicians, enabling patients to be aware of potential conflicts of interest. Outcomes in organ transplantation have benefited from advances made by the pharmaceutical industry, yet industry payments to transplant surgeons (TS) have not previously been quantified.

METHODS: Using the first wave of OPP data (8/1/13-12/31/13) released on 9/30/14, we calculated industry payments made to TS. We analyzed associations between a TS's h-index (a measure of academic productivity) with robust poisson regression and the chance of receiving industry payments of >$1000 (1K). We used SRTR data to study the association between industry payments & center volume & case mix.

RESULTS: 297 TS received a total of $759,654. TS received a median (IQR) of $125(39-1,018), maximum $83,520. A 10-unit increase in a TS's h-index was associated with 30% higher chance of receiving >$1K (RR=_1.181.30_1.44, p<0.001). Consulting fees comprised 41% of total payments, made to 36 TS. TS that were paid for consulting had higher h-indices 20 (10-35) vs 9 (3-17), p<0.001. Kidney transplant (KT) & liver transplant (LT) centers that received >$1K had higher center volumes, median (IQR) 130(61-279) vs 34 (14-64), p<0.001. Centers that received payments of >$1K had higher percentage of private insurance/self pay (%PI) patients 43%(39-49) vs 36% (24-43), p<0.001.

**INDUSTRY PAYMENTS & TRANSPLANT SURGEONS**
Center Characteristics	Industry Payment			p-value
	none	<$1K	> $1K	None vs < $1K	None vs > $1K
All Centers that Performed Kidney (KT) or Liver Transplants (LT)
Center N	116	73	53
Volume (median)	34	66	130	<0.001	<0.001
%PI	36	35	43	0.5	<0.001
KT Centers
Center N	115	67	53
Volume	29	64	74	<0.001	<0.001
%PI	33	31	38	0.3	0.2
LT Centers
Center N	48	44	44
Volume	23	29	59	0.07	<0.001
PI%	46	53	56	0.1	0.01

The median percentage Thymoglobulin use was 86% at centers that received Sanofi payments of >$1K, compared to 50% at centers that did not get paid.

CONCLUSION: TS with higher academic productivity received more payments. The majority of payments were made for consulting. Higher-volume centers had higher total industry payments.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Ahmed R, Chow E, Massie A, King E, Orandi B, Bae S, Nicholas L, Lonze B, Segev D. Industry Payments to Transplant Surgeons [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2015; 15 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/industry-payments-to-transplant-surgeons/. Accessed November 23, 2024.

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