Dollars for Docs: Talk With Your Doctor

https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/
You can print this page and show it to your doctor.

This database was last updated in October 2019 and should only be used as a historical snapshot. Newer data is available at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments site.

ProPublica's Dollars for Docs database lets you search for payments to U.S.-based doctors made by pharmaceutical and medical device companies between August 2013 and December 2018. The disclosure of these payments is required under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, a provision of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

About This Information

  • The information that appears here comes directly from the federal government. Companies must attest to its accuracy, and doctors have the ability to contest information they believe is in error.
  • This site includes payments for such activities as speaking, consulting, meals, travel and royalties. It does not include payments for clinical research.
  • It is legal for companies to make payments to doctors as long as the payments are not a kickback or inducement to use their products.
  • Some doctors say collaborative relationships, particularly those involving research, are necessary to develop new treatments and cures. But many ethicists have raised questions about the payments, and studies show that they may influence doctors' prescribing decisions.
  • Only you can decide if this matters to you and if so, whether you want to talk with your doctor about it. If you plan to talk with your doctor (or if you already have), please help us by filling out this short survey: propub.li/participate-d4d

Preparing for Your Conversation

If you decide you'd like to talk to your doctor about this, please keep in mind:

  • Many health care professionals in our database have similar names, so you should start by asking your doctor if the person mentioned in this payment record is really him/her.
  • Your doctor may not know he or she is listed as receiving payments, especially if the payments are small. You can direct your doctor to this site (the URL will be printed at the top of the payment record) or directly to the government's site here: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/101877
  • Some doctors are happy to discuss this information with you. Others might not be. The best approach is to ask questions and to not be accusatory.

Questions You Might Want to Ask

  • Is this you?
  • What type of work do you do with these companies?
  • Have you prescribed me any drugs that are manufactured by companies you've taken payments from?
  • Are there non-drug alternatives that I may want to consider first?
  • Are there less expensive generic alternatives to the drugs you have prescribed?
  • What devices have you used in my care that are manufactured by companies you've taken payments from?

Dollars for Docs: Talk With Your Doctor

https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/doctors/pid/101877
If you spot an error, please let us know at [email protected].

This database was last updated in October 2019 and should only be used as a historical snapshot. Newer data is available at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments site.

KRISHN SHARMA

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
230 WESTCHESTER AVE, WEST HARRISON, NY, 10604-2917

2018 Payments: At a Glance

72

payments

$115,909

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 3 $111K
Food and Beverage
 66 $3,836
Travel and Lodging
 3 $708

Drugs & Devices in 2018

Totals listed below account for all payments from that mention this product. Beginning in 2016, the government began classifying products as drugs, devices, biologics or medical supplies. Below, you will see drugs (drugs and biologics) and devices (devices and medical supplies). If a payment record mentions more than one product, the entire value will be included in each of those products. When no products are listed, they are not included in the list below.

Product Name Product Type Payments†
VAULT C

device

 $112K
O-ARM-ST

device

 $790
SERRATO

device

 $622
BIO4

device

 $587
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $468
TRITANIUM

device

 $445
DIVERGENCE-L

device

 $303
VLIFT

device

 $280
AVIATOR

device

 $221
VITOSS

device

 $200
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

 $176
CD HORIZON

device

 $142
ALLOGRAFT

device

 $141
ANCHOR C

device

 $133
LESSRAY

device

 $132
PULSE

device

 $132
ALIF PLATE

device

 $123
ILIOS

device

 $123
NAVIGATOR

device

 $100
STEALTHSTATION

device

 $96
† May not add up to dollar total at top of page, since a payment record may not be associated with any product or can be associated with several products.

For ease of printing, only the 20 drugs and devices with the highest payments are displayed. For a complete list, please visit: https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/doctors/pid/101877

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 13, 2018 $40,535 VAULT C Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Feb 13, 2018 $35,678 VAULT C Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Aug 21, 2018 $35,152 VAULT C Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Sep 7, 2018 $425 No Listed Product Food and Beverage 7D SURGICAL INC.
Feb 8, 2018 $343 O-ARM-ST Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Feb 9, 2018 $340 O-ARM-ST Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Apr 4, 2018 $198 VAULT C Food and Beverage PRECISION SPINE, INC.
May 25, 2018 $150 BIO4 SERRATO Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Oct 15, 2018 $149 TRITANIUM Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
May 10, 2018 $149 TRITANIUM SERRATO Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Oct 25, 2018 $147 AVIATOR VLIFT Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jan 17, 2018 $142 CD HORIZON Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Feb 28, 2018 $140 BIO4 SERRATO Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
May 18, 2018 $133 ANCHOR C VLIFT Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 2, 2018 $132 LESSRAY PULSE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Dec 17, 2018 $123 ILIOS ALIF PLATE Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 27, 2018 $102 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Apr 18, 2018 $100 NAVIGATOR Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Feb 9, 2018 $98 DIVERGENCE-L Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Aug 2, 2018 $91 ALLOGRAFT Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION

For ease of printing, 20 payments are displayed, the largest appearing on top. For a full list of payments, please visit: https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/doctors/pid/101877

Note: We have made some effort to normalize the data and eliminate duplicates, but the data is primarily as it has been reported by the companies to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. To purchase the normalized data, please visit the ProPublica Data Store. If you spot an error, please let us know at [email protected].

This site includes data published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on June 28, 2019.