Industry Financial Relationships of Presenters at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting with an Emphasis on Consultants (Key Opinion Leaders).

Abstract

To assess industry financial relationships of ophthalmologist presenters at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting between 2016 and 2020. Cross-sectional study. Program presenters from AAO Annual Meetings, 2016 through 2020. From the AAO Annual Meeting programs, we determined individual meeting participants and the number of papers, posters, courses, and symposia they presented. National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers were obtained for all participants who had them. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments Database (OPD) was used to obtain information about physician industry payments from 2016 through 2020. National Provider Identifier numbers were used to directly compare AAO participation and industry payment information by calendar year. Summary statistics were tabulated by year. Linear regression models were used to assess for time-varying relationships between participation and payments. The association of industry payments to AAO Annual Meeting presenters, especially industry consultants, for symposia, courses, papers, and posters. Eight hundred eleven distinct program participants had NPI numbers, with 1584 records of participation over the 5 years studied. Presenters could have multiple participations in each annual meeting. Overall, participants without NPI numbers (presumably those who do not practice in the United States) had a higher proportion of poster presentations and a lower proportion of symposia participation. Most presenters (67%-74%) at the AAO Annual Meeting received payments from industry in the same year they presented at the Meeting. Presenters who received industry funding characterized as consulting in the OPD received higher median payment amounts. Although no evidence was found of change in total payments over the years studied, consulting payments increased 20% per year (P < 0.01) from 2016 through 2019. Most AAO Annual Meeting presenters have financial relationships with industry. Increased financial transparency required by the Affordable Care Act has not reduced physician financial relationships with industry. A higher proportion of presenters in symposia, compared with poster presenters, are given higher amounts of industry money. Industry financial relationships are correlated with participation in symposia and courses at AAO Annual Meetings. Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.