Study: Doctors Who Prescribe More Opioids Make More Money

This study suggests that conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry may influence oncologists in high-stakes treatment decisions for patients with cancer,” the authors concluded. Some studies have looked at whether the amount of money a doctor receives makes a difference. Studies by researchers at Yale University, the George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health and Harvard Medical School have all found that the more money physicians are paid by pharmaceutical companies, the more likely they are to prescribe certain drugs. Dr. Patrice Harris, a spokeswoman for the American Medical Association, said that the CNN and Harvard data raised “fair questions” but that such analyses show only an association between payments and prescribing habits and don’t prove that one causes the other. It’s “not a cause and effect relationship,” said Harris, chairwoman of the association’s opioid task force, adding that more research should be done on the relationship between payments and prescriptions. “[We] strongly oppose inappropriate, unethical interactions between physicians and industry,” she added. “But we know that not all interactions are unethical or inappropriate.” Harris added that relationships between doctors and industry are ethical and appropriate if they “can help drive innovation in patient care and provide significant resources for professional medical education that ultim...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health News Local TV opioid crisis opioids Source Type: news