CMS Releases Open Payments Data for 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2016)—CMS has published 2015 Open Payments data, along with newly submitted and updated payment records for the 2013 and 2014 reporting periods, at openpaymentsdata.cms.gov. The Open Payments program (sometimes called the “Sunshine Act”) requires that transfers of value by manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals and medical supplies that are paid to physicians and teaching hospitals will be published on a public website.

For Open Payments program year 2015, health care industry manufacturers reported $7.52 billion in payments and ownership and investment interests to physicians and teaching hospitals. This amount is comprised of 11.90 million total records attributable to 618,931 physicians and 1,116 teaching hospitals.

Payments in the three major reporting categories are:

• $2.60 billion in general (i.e., non-research related) payments
• $3.89 billion in research payments
• $1.03 billion of ownership or investment interests held by physicians or their immediate family members

During the course of the Open Payments program since 2014, CMS has published 28.22 million records, accounting for $16.77 billion in payments and ownership and investment interests.

The Open Payments 2015 program year data set is the second full year of data available on the CMS Open Payments website. The availability of consecutive, full-year data allows the public the opportunity to explore trends in the health care industry manufacturers’ payments to physicians and teaching hospitals for items and services such as food and beverage, travel, education, honoraria and research. We are also able to analyze payments related to covered drugs, devices, biologicals and supplies. For example, CMS has determined that for program year 2015, 2.26 percent (637,131 records) of all financial transactions between physicians and pharmaceutical companies was related to opioid medications.

“Transparency is empowering physicians to be purposeful about their financial relationships with companies, and there is a notable shift towards charitable contributions and away from other interactions such as honoraria and gifts,” said Dr. Shantanu Agrawal, a CMS deputy administrator and director of the Center for Program Integrity.

The amount and distribution of payments and ownership and investment interest categories remained consistent between the 2014 and 2015 reporting periods.

Visit cms.gov for more information.