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/108062
  • 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/108062
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.

HAN KIM

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
535 E 70TH ST, NEW YORK, NY, 10021-4823

2018 Payments: At a Glance

160

payments

$334,768

payment total

7

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 8 $206K
Consulting
 48 $97,125
Travel and Lodging
 56 $27,069
Food and Beverage
 48 $4,431

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†
VITALITY

device

 $212K
TIMBERLINE

device

 $55,173
POLARIS POSTERIOR SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $32,410
TIMBERLINE MPF

device

 $32,410
YUKON OCT SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $31,398
POLARIS DEFORMITY SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $27,814
VIRAGE

device

 $21,626
MOBI-C

device

 $18,781
INVIZIA

device

 $18,300
MAXAN CERVICAL SYSTEM

device

 $18,300
VBR/S

device

 $18,300
YUKON

device

 $16,089
ZYSTON CURVED

device

 $13,050
VITALITY POWER

device

 $13,050
XLIF

device

 $10,469
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $8,454
GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

 $4,811
ZYSTON INTERBODY

device

 $2,125
ZYSTON STRAIGHT

device

 $670
POLARIS 4.75 SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $600
† 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/108062

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Aug 15, 2018 $42,955 VITALITY Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 14, 2018 $40,011 VITALITY Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Feb 27, 2018 $34,672 VITALITY Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
May 17, 2018 $34,646 VITALITY Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Aug 14, 2018 $30,601 YUKON OCT SPINAL SYSTEM Royalty or License K2M, INC. HJK SPINAL INNOVATIONS LLC
Nov 14, 2018 $16,089 YUKON Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION HJK SPINAL INNOVATIONS LLC
Mar 16, 2018 $7,837 XLIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Sep 26, 2018 $7,415 TIMBERLINE Travel and Lodging ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 13, 2018 $6,900 POLARIS DEFORMITY SPINAL SYSTEM Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations, LLC
Dec 14, 2018 $6,773 VITALITY Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
May 24, 2018 $6,300 TIMBERLINE VITALITY TIMBERLINE MPF POLARIS POSTERIOR SPINAL SYSTEM Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations, LLC
Oct 4, 2018 $5,550 POLARIS POSTERIOR SPINAL SYSTEM VITALITY TIMBERLINE MPF VITALITY POWER TIMBERLINE Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations, LLC
Nov 13, 2018 $5,400 POLARIS DEFORMITY SPINAL SYSTEM Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations, LLC
Jul 19, 2018 $5,100 MAXAN CERVICAL SYSTEM VBR/S VIRAGE MOBI-C INVIZIA Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations, LLC
Jun 5, 2018 $4,550 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Consulting K2M, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations
Feb 22, 2018 $4,500 VITALITY ZYSTON CURVED POLARIS DEFORMITY SPINAL SYSTEM TIMBERLINE Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations, LLC
Oct 4, 2018 $2,400 VITALITY TIMBERLINE TIMBERLINE MPF POLARIS POSTERIOR SPINAL SYSTEM Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations, LLC
Feb 22, 2018 $2,400 POLARIS DEFORMITY SPINAL SYSTEM Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations, LLC
Nov 13, 2018 $2,400 VIRAGE Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations, LLC
May 24, 2018 $2,400 POLARIS POSTERIOR SPINAL SYSTEM TIMBERLINE TIMBERLINE MPF VITALITY Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC. HJK Spinal Innovations, LLC

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/108062

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.