How doctors can review and dispute an Open Payments record

Before you start

Open Payments data is reported by companies, not by CMS, and not by websites like this one. A correction has to be made at the source: you raise a dispute in the CMS Open Payments system, and the company that reported the payment corrects it. We reproduce what CMS publishes, so when CMS publishes the correction, this site changes with it.

Registering and reviewing is voluntary, but it is the only way to see, affirm or dispute what was reported about you before it is published.

Step by step

Create a CMS account. Register for a CMS Identity Management (IDM) account at portal.cms.gov.
Request access to Open Payments. Add the Open Payments application to your account.
Create your profile. Choose “create my profile” and enter your NPI, licence and practice details. You can nominate an authorised representative to act for you.
Wait for vetting. CMS checks your details and emails you when your profile is approved.
Review your records. Look at each payment reported about you for the program year under review.
Affirm or dispute. Affirm records that are right. Dispute any that are wrong, and explain what is wrong.
Work it out with the company. The dispute goes to the company that reported it. CMS “does not facilitate or mediate disputes”, so resolve it with them directly.

The timeline that matters

Open Payments review and dispute timeline
When	What happens
1 April – 15 May	Review and dispute period for the previous program year (at least 45 days).
16 May – 30 May	Companies have 15 more days to correct disputed records.
By 30 June	CMS publishes the program year.
Until 31 December	You can still start a dispute. Changes from disputes opened after 15 May appear in the January refresh.

Timing matters because a dispute that is not resolved in time is still published: CMS publishes the company's version of the record, marked as disputed.

Tips

Check early. A dispute raised in April has the best chance of being corrected before publication.
Be specific. Say whether the amount, the date, the nature of payment or the recipient is wrong.
Keep records. Contracts, receipts and correspondence make a dispute quick to resolve.
Check the name match. If a payment belongs to a different doctor with the same name, say so in the dispute.

If the problem is with this site

If a page here shows another person's details against your name, that is our matching error, not a CMS dispute — tell us. You can also ask us to stop offering your profile page to search engines. Both are explained on disputes and removals. Nobody can remove you from the federal record itself, including anyone who offers to for a fee.

Official guidance: CMS, review and dispute.

When can doctors dispute Open Payments data?

The review and dispute period runs from April 1 to May 15 each year for the previous program year. Disputes can still be opened until December 31; those opened after May 15 are reflected in the January refresh.

Does CMS decide who is right in an Open Payments dispute?

No. CMS does not mediate disputes. The doctor and the reporting company resolve it between them, and the company submits any correction.

What happens if a dispute is not resolved in time?

The record is still published, showing the company's version of the data, and it is marked as disputed.

Can a doctor have their Open Payments record removed?

Not from the federal record. Inaccurate records can be disputed and corrected. Separately, Who Paid My Doc will stop offering a verified person's profile page to search engines on request.