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The Latest Research, Commentary, And News From Health Affairs

Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Dear John,

 A new paper compared the payments that physicians receive from both medical device firms and drug companies. The findings may surprise some.
Who Pays Providers More?
Many physicians receive payments and other in-kind compensation from drug and medical device companies. The payments from the pharmaceutical industry have received more attention because of concerns that they may influence physician prescribing.

But in a new article in the April issue, Alon Bergman and coauthors compared the rate, magnitude, nature, and targeting of payments from the device and drug industries to a comprehensive sample of physicians, across and within specialties.

They discovered that, relative to pharmaceutical companies, “device firms paid larger amounts to fewer physicians.” The authors documented $3.62 billion in payments to physicians by medical device companies from 2014 to 2017.

These findings have implications for both industries and how they’re regulated.

Read the rest of our April 2021 issue for more on the ACA and spending.

In a new post on Health Affairs Blog, Katie Keith argues that implementation of the parts of the American Rescue Plan regarding premium tax credits and COBRA subsidies must be swift, partially because these changes are only temporary.

Also on the blog, Robert G. Kramer argues that advocates and policy makers must dispense with out-of-date assumptions, acknowledge our problems, and align the many players involved if we’re to achieve what we truly desire for all Americans: a long-term care system that works. Additionally, Tyler Cromer and coauthors assert that we must address the laws, regulations, and budgetary pressures that create barriers to receiving care at home.

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