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/105603
  • 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/105603
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.


SIGURD BERVEN

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
400 PARNASSUS AVE, 3RD FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 94143-2202

2018 Payments: At a Glance

147

payments

$796,624

payment total

9

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
10 $585K
Consulting
16 $95,987
Promotional Speaking/Other
4 $56,825
Travel and Lodging
44 $51,957
Food and Beverage
71 $6,657
Accredited Training
1 $500
Education
1 $57

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
TRITANIUM

device

$453K
CD HORIZON

device

$189K
PASS-LP

device

$61,702
UNID

device

$61,702
GRAFTON

device

$42,222
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$30,569
INFUSE

device

$14,032
SERRATO

device

$2,500
XIA

device

$2,500
MASTERGRAFT

device

$1,162
OPTIMUS

device

$702
ELEVATE

device

$585
KIVA VCF TREATMENT SYSTEM

device

$300
BLAZER VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION KIT

device

$300
ACCULIF

device

$283
ALLOGRAFT BIO-IMPLANTS

device

$207
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$175
ANCHOR L

device

$150
PIVOX OBLIQUE LATERAL SPINAL SYSTEM

device

$137
ORTHOPEDIATRICS IMPLANTS

device

$70
† 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/105603

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 13, 2018 $153,225 CD HORIZON Royalty or License MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Mar 28, 2018 $118,799 TRITANIUM Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
May 30, 2018 $111,736 TRITANIUM Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 30, 2018 $102,907 TRITANIUM Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 29, 2018 $96,687 TRITANIUM Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 11, 2018 $22,094 GRAFTON Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Oct 18, 2018 $19,181 CD HORIZON Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $16,255 GRAFTON Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Aug 3, 2018 $15,500 PASS-LP UNID Consulting MEDICREA USA, CORP.
May 31, 2018 $14,800 PASS-LP UNID Consulting MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Jan 10, 2018 $13,226 INFUSE Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Apr 5, 2018 $11,750 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Oct 1, 2018 $10,757 CD HORIZON Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Mar 29, 2018 $10,403 PASS-LP UNID Travel and Lodging MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Jun 13, 2018 $9,304 No Listed Product Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Mar 28, 2018 $8,721 No Listed Product Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Mar 22, 2018 $8,500 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 3, 2018 $6,750 PASS-LP UNID Consulting MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Apr 5, 2018 $3,142 PASS-LP UNID Travel and Lodging MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Feb 25, 2018 $2,973 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging INNOVASIS 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/105603

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.