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/1040888
  • 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/1040888
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.

OSMANUDDIN AHMED

Listed Specialty: Vascular & Interventional Radiology
2650 RIDGE AVE, EVANSTON, IL, 60201-1718

2018 Payments: At a Glance

62

payments

$23,172

payment total

14

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $8,400
Honoraria
 1 $6,000
Food and Beverage
 42 $5,045
Consulting
 3 $2,050
Entertainment
 12 $898
Travel and Lodging
 2 $779

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†
THERASPHERE

device

 $6,765
VASCULAR CLOSURE DEVICE

device

 $6,053
PENUMBRA RUBY COIL

device

 $2,687
OPTION

device

 $2,552
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $1,973
SPECTRANETICS UNDIV

device

 $898
LUTONIX

device

 $561
STELLAREX

device

 $558
EKOSONIC

device

 $216
VIATORR TIPS ENDOPROSTHESIS

device

 $134
TURBO-POWER

device

 $125
ENDOPATH ETS ARTICULATING LINEAR CUTTER

device

 $113
COOK MEDICAL EMBOLIZATION

device

 $101
COOK MEDICAL ANGIOPLASTY

device

 $101
AZUR

device

 $83
CERTUS 140 MICROWAVE ABLATION SYSTEM

device

 $68
GLIDESHEATH

device

 $65
GLIDEWIRE

device

 $65
NAVICROSS

device

 $65
TR BAND

device

 $65
† 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/1040888

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 8, 2018 $6,000 VASCULAR CLOSURE DEVICE Honoraria CARDIVA MEDICAL, INC.
Jul 2, 2018 $6,000 THERASPHERE Promotional Speaking/Other BIOCOMPATIBLES, INC.
Sep 5, 2018 $2,400 PENUMBRA RUBY COIL Promotional Speaking/Other PENUMBRA, INC.
Dec 14, 2018 $1,650 No Listed Product Consulting ABBVIE, INC.
Jul 26, 2018 $1,374 OPTION Food and Beverage ARGON MEDICAL DEVICES, INC.
Jul 26, 2018 $847 OPTION Food and Beverage ARGON MEDICAL DEVICES, INC.
Jul 2, 2018 $765 THERASPHERE Travel and Lodging BIOCOMPATIBLES, INC.
Aug 8, 2018 $300 STELLAREX Consulting PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Sep 18, 2018 $159 PENUMBRA RUBY COIL Food and Beverage PENUMBRA, INC.
Dec 5, 2018 $155 LUTONIX Food and Beverage BARD PERIPHERAL VASCULAR, INC.
Jun 13, 2018 $134 VIATORR TIPS ENDOPROSTHESIS Food and Beverage W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Feb 14, 2018 $128 PENUMBRA RUBY COIL Food and Beverage PENUMBRA, INC.
Mar 29, 2018 $125 TURBO-POWER Food and Beverage PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Nov 26, 2018 $119 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ABBVIE, INC.
Aug 27, 2018 $119 OPTION Food and Beverage ARGON MEDICAL DEVICES, INC.
Nov 14, 2018 $116 LUTONIX Food and Beverage BARD PERIPHERAL VASCULAR, INC.
May 15, 2018 $111 EKOSONIC Food and Beverage EKOS CORPORATION
Aug 9, 2018 $107 LUTONIX Food and Beverage BARD PERIPHERAL VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 8, 2018 $106 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ANGIODYNAMICS, INC.
Oct 16, 2018 $105 LUTONIX Food and Beverage BARD PERIPHERAL VASCULAR, INC.

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/1040888

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.