Gender differences in industry payments among cardiologists.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Health Economics
• Gender Studies

Background:

• A significant wage gap exists between male and female cardiologists.
• Industry funding differences may contribute to gender-based salary disparities in cardiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gender-based differences in the distribution, types, and amounts of industry payments received by cardiologists.
• To determine if these financial relationships contribute to gender inequities in cardiology.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 2016 industry payment data for US cardiologists from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Open Payment program.
• Analysis of 2016 industry payments for UK cardiologists using UK Disclosure data.
• Comparison of payment data for 2014 and 2015 where available.

Main Results:

• In 2016, 78.0% of US male cardiologists received industry payments compared to 68.5% of females (P < .001).
• US male cardiologists received higher mean industry payments ($6,193.25) than females ($2,501.55) (P < .001).
• Similar trends were observed in the UK, with 24.4% of men and 13.5% of women receiving payments (P < .001), though the difference in payment amounts was not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• Industry payments are prevalent among cardiologists in both the US and UK.
• Significant gender differences exist in the receipt and amount of industry payments to cardiologists, indicating a transatlantic disparity.