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/10961
  • 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/10961
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.

HELEN TOROK

Listed Specialty: Dermatology
5783 WOOSTER PIKE, MEDINA, OH, 44256

2018 Payments: At a Glance

351

payments

$7,726

payment total

25

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 304 $5,105
Consulting
 2 $2,120
Honoraria
 1 $350
Education
 44 $150

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†
COSENTYX

drug

 $1,540
ALTRENO

drug

 $1,498
AMELUZ

drug

 $527
BF-RHODOLED

device

 $527
OTEZLA

drug

 $401
EPIDUO FORTE

drug

 $392
HUMIRA

drug

 $391
ENSTILAR

drug

 $315
ORACEA

drug

 $313
SOOLANTRA

drug

 $299
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $274
BENSAL HP

drug

 $243
NUVAIL

device

 $243
SITAVIG

drug

 $243
BIONECT TOPICAL HA

device

 $243
CLODERM

drug

 $243
ILUMYA

drug

 $238
DUPIXENT

drug

 $221
ABSORICA (ISOTRETINOIN)

drug

 $218
HALOG OINTMENT (HALCINONIDE OINTMENT, USP) 0.1%

drug

 $218
† 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/10961

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Nov 2, 2018 $1,400 ALTRENO Consulting ORTHO DERMATOLOGICS, A DIVISION OF BAUSCH HEALTH US, LLC
Oct 18, 2018 $720 COSENTYX Consulting NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION HMT DERMATOLOGY ASSOCIATES INC
May 17, 2018 $350 AMELUZ BF-RHODOLED Honoraria BIOFRONTERA INC.
Aug 23, 2018 $120 PICATO ENSTILAR Food and Beverage LEO PHARMA INC.
Jun 26, 2018 $120 COSENTYX Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
Aug 2, 2018 $120 COSENTYX Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
Apr 19, 2018 $119 AMELUZ BF-RHODOLED Food and Beverage BIOFRONTERA INC.
May 15, 2018 $114 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ABBVIE, INC.
Apr 4, 2018 $109 TREMFYA Food and Beverage JANSSEN SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS, LLC
Oct 10, 2018 $96 SILIQ Food and Beverage ORTHO DERMATOLOGICS, A DIVISION OF BAUSCH HEALTH US, LLC
Sep 26, 2018 $93 ILUMYA Food and Beverage SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INC.
Sep 6, 2018 $93 TREMFYA Food and Beverage JANSSEN SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS, LLC
Oct 24, 2018 $89 COSENTYX Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
Oct 18, 2018 $86 ALTRENO Food and Beverage ORTHO DERMATOLOGICS, A DIVISION OF BAUSCH HEALTH US, LLC
Apr 17, 2018 $82 No Listed Product Food and Beverage GALDERMA LABORATORIES, L.P.
May 29, 2018 $79 EPIDUO FORTE Food and Beverage GALDERMA LABORATORIES, L.P.
Oct 9, 2018 $75 KEYTRUDA Food and Beverage MERCK SHARP & DOHME CORPORATION
May 8, 2018 $74 COSENTYX Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
Feb 13, 2018 $69 BENSAL HP NUVAIL SITAVIG BIONECT TOPICAL HA CLODERM Food and Beverage EPI HEALTH, LLC
Sep 12, 2018 $64 COSENTYX Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS 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/10961

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.