For Disciplined Doctors Crime & Misconduct Pay Very Well at Big Pharma

(The Best Years in Life) Being found guilty of criminal activity or professional misconduct might be expected to curtail opportunities and income for most of us, but such has not been the case with disciplined doctors and Big Pharma. As the ProPublica news agency reported, hundreds of doctors who’ve been sanctioned, fined, suspended and even convicted of crimes have been making big money as drug company speakers, consultants, educators and drug trial overseers.
ProPublica examined payment records of 7 pharmaceutical companies in 30 states and found 292 disciplined doctors who earned a collective $7.1 million in 2009-2010 alone. Accusations against the doctors included serious medical mistakes, sexual misconduct, and excessive use of addictive drugs. Seventy of the doctors had been sanctioned multiple times or by more than one state. Twenty-one of them had three or more strikes against their records.

Since the investigation excluded over 60 pharmaceutical companies and 20 states, the total number of disciplined doctors on Big Pharma’s payroll is sure to be much higher. In addition, not all doctors properly report their drug company incomes – as Colorado Public Radio found when it reviewed the ProPublica data and discovered that at least 84 Colorado physicians did not follow state law and disclose their drug company contracts.
READ MORE:http://www.tbyil.com/Disciplined_Doctors.htm