BOSTON -- Pharmaceutical companies are paying doctors in Massachusetts and across the country stunning amounts of money, Team 5 Investigates reported Thursday.

Drug manufacturer Eli Lilly recently released a list of doctors paid to do what's called advising and education. But critics told Team 5 these payments are for nothing more than a sales pitch, and they create a conflict of interest.

"They're salespeople with MDs after their names," said Dan Carlat, a Newburyport psychiatrist.

Dr. Brent P. Forester, a Belmont psychiatrist, took in $50,800, and Dr. Stephen C. Ellen, a Bedford psychiatrist, received $50,700 from Eli Lilly alone in just the first three months of this year.

Other top earners included Belmont psychiatrist Dr. Gopinath K. Mallya, who made $38,900, and Dr. Sumer D. Verma, a Lexington psychiatrist who made $36,100 in the first 3 months of 2009.

Forester, Mallya, and Verma are all affiliated with McLean Hospital, which said the payments are "allowable under federal or state laws." McLean said its doctors are "leaders in their field" who are "often asked to share their expertise." Ellen did not return numerous calls to his office.

Eli Lilly said doctors on its payroll follow FDA guidelines.

Carlat used to be on another drug company's payroll. "I called myself a drug whore," Carlat said. "That really is what it feels like when you're doing it."

One pharmaceutical company paid Carlat $30,000 for talking to doctors about depression and highlighting a drug made by that company. On his blog, he calls it the "dirty 30," but said it's nothing compared to what he said some doctors pocket.

"I personally know of some doctors in the business who have made upwards of one million dollars a year," Carlat said.

How much money all doctors make will soon be public information. Massachusetts now requires drug companies to report how much they pay doctors and will make that information available on a Web site next summer. In the meantime, there's a federal bill pending that would make such disclosures mandatory nationwide.

But Eli Lilly is the first, in part, due to a court settlement. The company paid doctors more than $20 million in just the first quarter of this year.

"We think it's not appropriate," said Alan Coukall of the Pew Prescription Project.

He said these payments are driving up prescription drug costs for everyone.

"Study after study after study shows that the companies are very good at influencing prescribing behavior," Coukall said. "The drugs that are the most heavily marketed are invariably the newer, more expensive drugs."

"Some of the generic versions are just as effective and sometimes have fewer side effects," Carlat added.

Dr. Tom Stossel, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, argued these relationships have brought cutting-edge treatments to the public faster.

"What I say to critics is you show me the data," Stossel said. "It's urban legend that doctor gets a gift, doctor prescribes expensive, unnecessary and possibly dangerous drugs. Let me see the data."

Stossel said he doesn't believe the payments are a big concern for patients.

"I don't think so," he said. "I think the public fundamentally trusts their doctors."

Team 5 Investigates' Kelley Tuthill asked Stossel why he was the only doctor who would do an interview with her about this topic.

"I hope that's going to change," he replied. "Since they have to do it anyway, that the doctors who refuse to talk to you will come out of the closet and say, 'Yeah, I got the money because I'm good. If I wasn't I'd be a critic."