Table 2. Industry Payments to Electrophysiologists in 2017.
| Payment Characteristics | EP Laboratory Directors for Top-100 Hospitalsa (n = 96) | EPs Practicing in Same Zip Code as Top-100 Hospitalsa (n = 416) | All Other US EPs (n = 2232) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total value, $ | 2 307 504 | 7 314 688 | 27 506 722 |
| Median (IQR) per physician, $ | 10 521 (1159-35 076) | 2900 (549-13 101) | 2267 (622-8377) |
| Mean (SD) per physician, $ | 24 036 (34 944) | 17 583 (60 664) | 12 323 (78 674) |
| Maximum value, $ | 195 368 | 985 592 | 3 506 426 |
| Proportion of EPs receiving payments of ≥$10 000, % | 51 | 30 | 23 |
| Type of payments, proportion of total value, % | |||
| Compensation for servicesb | 38 | 25 | 32 |
| Consulting fees | 33 | 33 | 24 |
| Food and beverage | 7 | 7 | 11 |
| Travel and lodging | 19 | 14 | 13 |
| Grant | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Speaking at a CME event | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Honoraria | <1 | <1 | 1 |
| Education | <1 | <1 | <1 |
| Ownership or investment interest | <1 | 16 | 3 |
| Charitable contribution | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Entertainment | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Royalty | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Gifts | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Abbreviations: CME, continuing medical education; EP, electrophysiologist; IQR, interquartile range.
a
Based on the US News & World Report rankings.3
b
Payments made to physicians for speaking, training, and education engagements that are not for CME, such as discussing drugs or devices with other physicians at a restaurant.