Docs Paid Millions: Top Stories in Central Mass in 2012

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Monday, December 31, 2012

GoLocalWorcester Editors

A number of Central Mass doctors enjoyed cushy relationships with drug companies, collecting thousands of dollars for research, consulting and speaking engagements.

A GoLocalWorcester review of industry reports found that the top 30 physicians in Central Mass combined to collect more than $2 million in fees and payments, and one physician earned more than $500,000. Statewide, payments from drug companies to physicians totaled more than $22 million.

Meanwhile, the relaxed "gift ban" law, which allows pharmaceutical companies to wine and dine doctors and provide coupons to patients for prescription drugs, could end up costing healthcare subscribers up to $750 million over the next decade, according to the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, with doctors prescribing more expensive medications due to the perks they receive from the drug manufacturers.

The potential conflicts of interest that arise left many consumers and patients wondering just who their doctors are working for.