PHYSICIAN on FEC schedules: $186.4M disclosed

A credential used as an industry key

Many clinicians write PHYSICIAN in occupation and repeat it in employer, or they name a clinic in employer and PHYSICIAN in occupation. LobbyVault's industry ranking for this page keys on the PHYSICIAN label. That is why a medical title sits in the same table as RETIRED and GOLDMAN SACHS.

The $186.4M figure is not 'health care spending on politics' and not AMA membership giving. It is itemized individual receipts grouped under this one string. NAICS 62 (health care) is a different classification system the FEC does not apply here.

26,937 donors, 536,585 lines

26,937 donors produced 536,585 PHYSICIAN contribution lines. Repeat giving across committees and dates accounts for receipts exceeding unique donors. The cluster is smaller in dollars than the attorney row and larger than the doctor row, which uses a different English word.

No party share is published on this industry total. Specialty (cardiology, pediatrics) is not in the industry key unless the donor typed it — and even then it would be a different string.

PHYSICIAN versus DOCTOR

DOCTOR is a separate LobbyVault industry label with its own dollar total. Some M.D.s type one word, some the other, some a hospital name. FEC storage is literal. Combining PHYSICIAN and DOCTOR is extra research, not the file.

DENTIST, PSYCHOLOGIST, and hospital-as-employer rows are likewise outside the $186.4M. Occupation pages show the title field when employer is a health system. Hospital credentialing files are not this row. The $186.4M total is 26,937 donors and 536,585 lines tagged PHYSICIAN. Health-system letterheads pull many clinicians into employer-name keys. DOCTOR is the smaller synonym row at the DOCTOR total with a separate donor count donors. Specialties typed as separate words are other keys.

Donor table without a malpractice narrative

The PHYSICIAN donor table lists disclosed names and amounts. A large gift is a contribution record. It is not evidence about a billing dispute, a drug, or a statute. LobbyVault does not speculate on motive.

Common surnames and group-practice names can collide. Use committee and date fields on the contribution, not the industry headline, to separate people. AMA membership and board certification are absent. LobbyVault does not add them. A health-care recode that adds PHYSICIAN, DOCTOR, DENTIST, and PSYCHOLOGIST must say so. This page stays at $186.4M for PHYSICIAN.

Source

FEC.gov via LobbyVault: $186.4M, 536,585 contributions, 26,937 donors, top employer PHYSICIAN. Unitemized and non-federal activity are omitted.

Follow recipient committees from the table for where money was reported. Malpractice and drug-price debates are not encoded in the industry headline. Recipient committees on the donor table are the disclosed destinations. The $186.4M figure has no bill number attached.

Hospitals, specialties, and what the credential row omits

Health-system employers (a named hospital, a clinic LLC) pull many clinicians out of the PHYSICIAN industry key. The $186.4M total, 536,585 contribution lines, and 26,937 donors are the credential string, not "health care." Unitemized gifts, state races, and AMA or specialty PACs are omitted. LobbyVault does not encode cardiology versus pediatrics unless the donor typed those words as a different string.

DOCTOR is the smaller English-synonym row. DENTIST and PSYCHOLOGIST are other clinical titles. Adding them invents a homemade clinical total. Occupation pages show title-versus-employer splits. Open the PHYSICIAN donor table for names and committees. PHYSICIAN is self-reported FEC text, not NAICS 62, from FEC.gov via LobbyVault. Occupation pages show PHYSICIAN as occupation with a hospital employer. Harvest may prefer the hospital. Search both views. Source: FEC.gov via LobbyVault, not NAICS 62. Health-system letterheads are the main leak from PHYSICIAN. The $186.4M total is 26,937 donors and 536,585 lines with the credential string. DOCTOR is the smaller synonym row, with its own total. DENTIST and PSYCHOLOGIST stay out. AMA membership and board certification are absent. A clinical recode that adds those titles must say so. Malpractice and drug-price debates are not encoded in the headline; recipient committees on the donor table are the disclosed destinations. Occupation pages show PHYSICIAN as occupation with a hospital employer; harvest may prefer the hospital. Unitemized gifts and state races are omitted. Cite $186.4M from FEC.gov via LobbyVault, not NAICS 62.

Questions

How much have PHYSICIAN donors given in federal races?

LobbyVault attributes $186.4M to the PHYSICIAN FEC string, from 536,585 contributions and 26,937 donors. DOCTOR is a separate label. Neither figure is a NAICS health-care total. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.

Does this include hospital employees who are not M.D.s?

Only if the grouped label is PHYSICIAN. Nurses, administrators, and staff who typed a hospital name or another title are in other rows. The $186.4M is the PHYSICIAN string only. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.

Why isn't DOCTOR included?

FEC fields store literal text. PHYSICIAN and DOCTOR do not match, so LobbyVault keeps two industry rows. Merging them is a researcher choice. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.

How many unique physician donors are listed?

The rollup counts 26,937 donors and 536,585 contribution lines. Repeat gifts raise the receipt count. This is not a count of all licensed physicians. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.