US Nationwide Disclosure of Industry Payments and Public Trust in Physicians

Key Points Question Is there an association between nationwide public disclosure of industry payments and Americans’ trust in their physicians? Findings In a survey study using a difference-in-difference analysis of a national longitudinal survey of 1388 US adults, public disclosure of payments was associated with respondents reporting lower trust in their own physicians—regardless of whether they knew their physicians had received industry payments—and lower trust in the medical profession. Meaning An unintended consequence of the public disclosure of industry payments via Open Payments may have been diminished trust among American individuals in their physicians even though these physicians may not have received any industry payments.