Dollars for Doctors in New Hampshire

In another ProPublica-created story, Fosters.com recently did a local piece using the Dollars for Docs database to cover "payments doctors receive from drug makers"—one of the more neutral titles we have seen in a long time, maybe ever (sadly). The article notes that companies paid more than $3.1 million to New Hampshire doctors over the past four years for speaking and consulting work—however, the figure does not include payments for meals, travel or research work. More than 120 physicians in New Hampshire have earned at least $1,000 the data shows. Most received a relatively small sum — the median value was about $6,500 a piece — but some, like Exeter psychiatrist John Miller, were compensated significantly more. Miller received a combined $669,935 for speaking and consulting work between 2009 and 2012. "Miller is a staff psychiatrist at Seacoast Mental Health Center in Exeter and a consultant for Exeter Hospital, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is also listed as the director of a company called Brain Health, which facilitates lectures on medical subjects across the country, according to its website, brain-health.co," the article notes. Miller is also paid to work for the so-called "speaker bureaus" of four drug companies: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sunovion and Forest. Miller could not be reached for comment by Foster's Sunday Citizen. In an interview with New Hampshire Public Radio, he defended his work for the drug makers, calling himself a liaison for the...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs