CMS Open Payments? Protect your Value Analysis Process from Undue Conflict of Interest

What is the CMS Open Payments Program?

The mission of the program is to provide the public with a more transparent health care system.

Open Payments collects and publishes information about financial relationships between drug and medical device companies (referred to as "reporting entities") and certain health care providers (referred to as "covered recipients"). These relationships may involve payments to providers for things including but not limited to research, meals, travel, gifts, or speaking fees.

All information available on the Open Payments database is open to personal interpretation, and if there are questions about the data, patients and their advocates should speak directly to the health care provider for a better understanding.

Open Payments Calendar: Data Updates

On June 28, 2024, the Open Payments Program Year 2023 data was published. Program Year 2023 includes payments or transfers of value that drug and medical device companies made to certain healthcare providers between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.

The most recent data publication marks the third year that the Open Payments data includes physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologist assistants, and certified nurse midwives. Drug and medical device companies reported 15.64 million records amounting to $12.69 billion in payments or transfers of value to health care providers during 2023.

Payment information on this site reflects the most recent seven years of Open Payments’ data. Program Years 2013 – 2016 are archived and can be accessed on the Archived Dataset page.

Who are considered “covered recipients”?

Any physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, or certified nurse-midwife who is not a bona fide employee of the applicable manufacturer that is reporting the payment; or a teaching hospital, which is any institution that received a payment under 1886(d)(5)(B), 1886(h), or 1886(s) of the Act during the last calendar year for which such information is available.

How is Open Payments Data Processed?

To Access the CMS Open Payments Database: CLICK HERE