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Medical Device Industry Payments and Utilization of Corresponding Devices
Misop Han1, Yuezhou Jing1, Zeyad Hammadeh1
1James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
JAMA Network Open
|July 17, 2026
Summary
Physician payments from medical device companies correlate with increased use of those devices. This study highlights the need for transparency in financial relationships between doctors and device manufacturers.
Area of Science:
- Medical Economics
- Health Services Research
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Physician financial relationships with industry are prevalent.
- The link between medical device payments and device use across medical specialties is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between payments from the device industry to physicians and the utilization of medical devices across various specialties.
Main Methods:
- This cross-sectional study analyzed Medicare data from 2015-2023, linking industry payment records with physician procedure claims.
- Physicians performing device-associated procedures were identified using CPT or HCPCS codes.
- Generalized estimating equations with Poisson regression models assessed associations between payment categories and procedure utilization.
Main Results:
- Across 12 devices, higher industry payment categories were linked to increased utilization of corresponding devices.
- Physicians receiving over $10,000 for prostatic urethral lift procedures showed significantly higher utilization compared to those receiving no payments.
- Similarly, higher payments for hypoglossal nerve stimulation correlated with increased procedure counts.
Conclusions:
- Device industry payments to physicians are associated with higher utilization of the corresponding medical devices.
- These findings underscore the importance of ongoing transparency and scrutiny of financial ties between physicians and device manufacturers.
