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/114044
  • 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/114044
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.

AZIZ BASEM NICHOLAS QANDAH

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
86 GENESEE ST, NEW HARTFORD, NY, 13413-2389

2018 Payments: At a Glance

39

payments

$261,161

payment total

7

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 18 $203K
Royalty or License
 4 $56,257
Food and Beverage
 15 $1,345
Travel and Lodging
 2 $847

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†
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $86,000
VAULT C

device

 $85,538
CREO MCS

device

 $56,257
MARINER

device

 $26,460
ATOLL

device

 $9,000
CABO

device

 $4,500
CAMBRIA NANOMETALENE

device

 $4,500
SYPHER ALIF SYSTEM

device

 $1,500
BLACKBIRD

device

 $763
BLACKHAWK

device

 $763
TIGER SHARK

device

 $763
TOMCAT

device

 $763
VEO

device

 $763
OSTEOBALLAST

device

 $77
REGATTA

device

 $77
SHORELINE

device

 $77
VU APOD PRIME

device

 $77
SPECTRA WAVEWRITER

device

 $68
OSTEOSTRAND PLUS

device

 $57
MIDAS REX

device

 $19
† 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.

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 1, 2018 $52,069 No Listed Product Consulting CHOICE SPINE, LLC
Feb 13, 2018 $31,270 VAULT C Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Aug 8, 2018 $28,100 VAULT C Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
May 8, 2018 $25,982 VAULT C Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Mar 31, 2018 $15,412 CREO MCS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Dec 31, 2018 $14,482 CREO MCS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jun 30, 2018 $14,123 CREO MCS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jan 25, 2018 $13,000 MARINER Consulting SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION NEURO BRAIN & SPINE CONSULTANTS
Sep 30, 2018 $12,241 CREO MCS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Oct 5, 2018 $9,500 No Listed Product Consulting XENCO MEDICAL LLC
Nov 19, 2018 $8,291 No Listed Product Consulting XENCO MEDICAL LLC
Jan 25, 2018 $4,500 MARINER Consulting SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION NEURO BRAIN & SPINE CONSULTANTS
Sep 24, 2018 $4,500 ATOLL CABO CAMBRIA NANOMETALENE MARINER Consulting SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION NEURO BRAIN & SPINE CONSULTANTS
Mar 1, 2018 $4,500 ATOLL Consulting SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION NEURO BRAIN & SPINE CONSULTANTS
Nov 19, 2018 $4,000 No Listed Product Consulting XENCO MEDICAL LLC
Sep 1, 2018 $4,000 No Listed Product Consulting XENCO MEDICAL LLC
Jun 6, 2018 $4,000 No Listed Product Consulting XENCO MEDICAL LLC
Nov 19, 2018 $3,000 No Listed Product Consulting XENCO MEDICAL LLC
Oct 3, 2018 $2,500 MARINER Consulting SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION NEURO BRAIN & SPINE CONSULTANTS
Jul 13, 2018 $1,500 SYPHER ALIF SYSTEM Consulting PRECISION SPINE, 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/114044

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.