Pharmaceutical Payments to Doctors by State
Pharmaceutical payment patterns vary significantly by geography. States with major academic medical centers, large physician populations, and pharmaceutical industry headquarters tend to see higher payment volumes. This page provides a state-by-state breakdown of pharmaceutical industry payments to physicians as reported in the CMS Open Payments database.
Why Geography Matters
Geographic analysis of pharmaceutical payments reveals important patterns. States with major teaching hospitals and research universities often have higher per-physician payment averages due to clinical trial funding and academic consulting. States with high physician density naturally show larger total payment volumes. Understanding these geographic patterns helps patients contextualize their own doctor's payment profile relative to state and regional norms.
All States and Territories -- Payment Rankings
Click on any state to view physicians and detailed payment data. States are ranked by total pharmaceutical payments.
| State | Total Payments | Transactions | Physicians |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama (AL) | $7.8M | 653 | 653 |
| Tennessee (TN) | $7.6M | 667 | 667 |
| Colorado (CO) | $7.6M | 713 | 713 |
| Louisiana (LA) | $7.6M | 669 | 669 |
| Virginia (VA) | $7.4M | 672 | 672 |
| Illinois (IL) | $7.3M | 655 | 655 |
| Arizona (AZ) | $7.1M | 674 | 674 |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | $7.1M | 684 | 684 |
| Michigan (MI) | $7.1M | 680 | 680 |
| Georgia (GA) | $6.9M | 680 | 680 |
| Wisconsin (WI) | $6.6M | 656 | 656 |
| Missouri (MO) | $6.6M | 660 | 660 |
| Florida (FL) | $6.5M | 653 | 653 |
| Massachusetts (MA) | $6.2M | 640 | 640 |
| Minnesota (MN) | $6.2M | 664 | 664 |
| Indiana (IN) | $6.1M | 641 | 641 |
| New Jersey (NJ) | $6.0M | 642 | 642 |
| New York (NY) | $6.0M | 694 | 694 |
| California (CA) | $5.9M | 608 | 608 |
| Texas (TX) | $5.9M | 684 | 684 |
| Maryland (MD) | $5.7M | 650 | 650 |
| North Carolina (NC) | $5.7M | 652 | 652 |
| Washington (WA) | $5.7M | 587 | 587 |
| South Carolina (SC) | $5.5M | 668 | 668 |
| Ohio (OH) | $5.3M | 653 | 653 |
Top Doctors by State
Browse the highest-paid physicians in each state. Click any physician's name to view their full transparency report.
Alabama
- Karen Harris (Internal Medicine) -- $373.6K
- Andrew Young (Psychiatry) -- $323.8K
- Michelle Scott (Dermatology) -- $313.2K
- Andrew Young (Oncology) -- $298.6K
- Benjamin Cook (Internal Medicine) -- $290.6K
Tennessee
- Nicole Lopez (Gastroenterology) -- $323.5K
- Andrew Young (Pulmonology) -- $287.7K
- Christine Edwards (Hematology) -- $268.2K
- Andrew Young (Cardiology) -- $234.4K
- Benjamin Cook (Hepatology) -- $228.1K
Colorado
- Catherine Morris (Ophthalmology) -- $378.5K
- Andrew Young (Rheumatology) -- $214.5K
- Benjamin Cook (Psychiatry) -- $211.9K
- Catherine Morris (Rheumatology) -- $182.6K
- Rachel Parker (Neurology) -- $172.3K
Louisiana
- Stephanie King (Neurology) -- $308.6K
- Timothy Rogers (Dermatology) -- $300.3K
- Charles Baker (Cardiology) -- $189.1K
- Amanda Lewis (Psychiatry) -- $186.9K
- Jeffrey Campbell (Neurology) -- $174.2K
Virginia
- Michael Rodriguez (Psychiatry) -- $375.0K
- Sarah Chen (HIV Medicine) -- $299.3K
- Christopher Clark (Pulmonology) -- $247.9K
- William Lee (Psychiatry) -- $207.3K
- James Wilson (Oncology) -- $187.0K
Illinois
- Richard Brown (Neurology) -- $343.8K
- Laura Hall (Cardiology) -- $249.6K
- Eric Sanchez (Genetics) -- $213.1K
- John Anderson (Rheumatology) -- $206.6K
- Steven Green (Hematology) -- $171.0K
Arizona
- Ashley Nelson (Neurology) -- $309.3K
- James Wilson (Endocrinology) -- $241.0K
- Sarah Chen (Oncology) -- $225.2K
- David Kim (Hematology) -- $220.4K
- Benjamin Cook (Infectious Disease) -- $194.3K
Pennsylvania
- Rachel Parker (Infectious Disease) -- $279.1K
- Karen Harris (Internal Medicine) -- $223.5K
- Lisa Garcia (Infectious Disease) -- $209.0K
- Benjamin Cook (Ophthalmology) -- $193.5K
- Karen Harris (Infectious Disease) -- $180.7K
Michigan
- Catherine Morris (Internal Medicine) -- $329.1K
- Lisa Garcia (Rheumatology) -- $274.5K
- Charles Baker (Dermatology) -- $255.5K
- Brian Wright (Hepatology) -- $211.0K
- Mark Perez (Neurology) -- $188.7K
Georgia
- Kevin Hill (Ophthalmology) -- $314.3K
- Eric Sanchez (Neurology) -- $275.0K
- Nicole Lopez (Cardiology) -- $242.5K
- Elizabeth Roberts (Psychiatry) -- $240.3K
- Laura Hall (Nephrology) -- $238.4K
Wisconsin
- Scott Collins (Genetics) -- $269.8K
- Angela Stewart (Genetics) -- $221.6K
- Charles Baker (Oncology) -- $187.9K
- Paul Turner (Rare Disease) -- $168.1K
- Elizabeth Roberts (Neurology) -- $164.7K
Missouri
- Jessica Moore (Rheumatology) -- $234.5K
- Laura Hall (Dermatology) -- $223.0K
- Amy Phillips (Neurology) -- $177.7K
- Andrew Young (Endocrinology) -- $173.2K
- William Lee (Neurology) -- $170.3K
Florida
- Sarah Chen (Genetics) -- $182.8K
- Lisa Garcia (Cardiology) -- $170.0K
- David Kim (Gastroenterology) -- $169.3K
- Rachel Parker (Allergy & Immunology) -- $163.5K
- David Kim (Allergy & Immunology) -- $159.8K
Massachusetts
- John Anderson (Hepatology) -- $262.0K
- Christopher Clark (Gastroenterology) -- $223.3K
- Jennifer Patel (Dermatology) -- $176.8K
- Charles Baker (Dermatology) -- $123.4K
- Jessica Moore (Hematology) -- $123.4K
Minnesota
- Andrew Young (Internal Medicine) -- $373.0K
- Sarah Chen (Hepatology) -- $248.9K
- Andrew Young (Nephrology) -- $210.4K
- Susan Taylor (Psychiatry) -- $183.3K
- Charles Baker (Rheumatology) -- $173.7K