Results
Of 8,190 otorhinolaryngologists, 3,667 (44.8 %) were paid a total of $13,873,562, in payments for lecturing, consulting, and writing by 72 pharmaceutical companies between 2016 and 2019. Median four-year combined payments per physician was $1,022 (interquartile range: $473–$2,526). Top 1%, 5%, and 10% of otorhinolaryngologists received 42.3% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 37.2%–47.4%), 69.3% (95% CI: 65.9%–72.8%), and 80.6% (95% CI: 78.3%–82.9%) of overall payments, respectively. The median payments per physicians were significantly higher among otorhinolaryngologists authoring clinical practice guidelines ($11,522), society board members ($22,261), and journal editors ($35,143) than those without. The payments and number of otorhinolaryngologists receiving payments remained stable between 2016 and 2019.