“ProPublica has created a database, Dollars for Docs, which allows you to check whether your doctor is being paid by any of the 12 companies currently disclosing this information.”

This http://www.propublica.org article is about the business of pharmaceutical companies, physicians and the connection between them and how that may impact you.

“Your doctor gives you an expensive new drug to control your cholesterol, or recommends a certain brand of artificial hip, or says you need a stent to open a clogged artery.

“He’s the expert. But how do you know his expertise is untainted? The makers of the drug, the replacement hip or the stent may have paid your doctor to deliver promotional talks extolling the virtues of the product. Or they could be paying him, or her, to consult on marketing plans.

“It doesn’t necessarily follow, of course, that this kind of moonlighting influences the treatment you receive. And many doctors don’t accept these kinds of payments. But if yours does, wouldn’t you like to know that?

“As it stands, doctors don’t have to tell you if they’re working with the makers of the products they’re prescribing you. They don’t have to tell you whether they own stock in those companies or do research on their behalf.

“There’s no place for you — the patient — to find out whether your doctor is prescribing more drugs or medical devices made by companies with whom he has a relationship.

“Understanding such ties can be important. Many brand-name drugs are wildly expensive, and some carry an array of dangerous side effects. Sometimes similar drugs, either those made by competitors or generics, are cheaper or have fewer risks.

“Patients largely trust their doctors to do what’s right for them. But a recent string of scandals has raised questions about whether patients need to know more. Pharmaceutical and medical device makers have paid billions of dollars to settle accusations of kickbacks to doctors and improper marketing of their products.

“Many physicians say the close ties between drug and device firms and doctors lead to new and more effective medications, life-saving innovations and a better-educated profession. Although this is certainly true, the relationships also can cause physicians to — consciously or not — downplay side effects and poor research outcomes, studies show.

“Earlier this summer, for example, the Spine Journal devoted an entire issue to repudiating the research of several spine experts that supported the widespread use of a Medtronic bone growth product used in spinal fusions. The articles charged that the researchers, who had substantial financial ties to Medtronic, overstated the benefits of the product, Infuse, and ignored its risks.

“Only recently have some tools become available to help patients learn about their doctors’ financial ties before they are in the exam room. Read the entire article here.

A second article, “News reports cite drop in physicians speaking“, suggests that the Dollars for Docs database may be having an effect on the practice of pharmaceutical companies funneling dollars by paying doctors.

“Amid increasing scrutiny, drug company payments to doctors for promotional speaking have dropped in several states, according to stories by several newspapers using our newly updated Dollars for Docs database.”