Trends in personal payments between 2016 and 2019
The total annual payments from the pharmaceutical companies ranged from $3,356,647 in 2016 to $3,615,634 in 2017. A total of 1,988 (24.3%) otorhinolaryngologists in 2019 to 2,129 (26.0%) otorhinolaryngologists in 2018 received more than one personal payment from the companies in a single year. (Table 3) Median annual payments per physician were $511 (IQR: $307‒$1,188) in 2016 to $619 (IQR: $473‒$1,328) in 2019, while average annual payments per physician were $1,663 (SD: $5,505) to $1,761 (SD: $5,518). There were no significant annual changes in total payments, payments per physician, and the number of otorhinolaryngologists receiving payments. A sensitivity analysis, limiting payments from 63 companies whose payment data were available throughout the four years, also confirmed that there were no significant annual changes in total payments, payment per physician, and the number of otorhinolaryngologists with payments between 2016 and 2019.
Table 3. Trend of personal payments from pharmaceutical companies to board-certified otorhinolaryngologists between 2016 and 2019