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/115295
  • 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/115295
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.

STEVEN LEE

Listed Specialty: Sports Medicine
130 E 77TH ST, 5TH FLOOR, NYC, NY, 10021-1851

2018 Payments: At a Glance

124

payments

$230,179

payment total

11

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 4 $110K
Promotional Speaking/Other
 31 $88,561
Consulting
 16 $17,980
Travel and Lodging
 41 $11,193
Food and Beverage
 32 $2,355

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

 $119K
DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST ANCHORS

device

 $111K
DISTAL EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS HAND & WRIST SWIVELOCKS

device

 $61,725
DISTAL EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS DISPOSABLE KITS SWIVELOCKS

device

 $26,847
DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST DISTAL RADIUS

device

 $420
ANATOMIC RADIAL HEAD SYSTEM

device

 $161
ELBOW PLATING SYSTEM

device

 $161
APTUS

device

 $156
DBM

device

 $144
REUNION

device

 $109
VARIAX

device

 $69
ORTHOVISC

device

 $63
EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM

device

 $45
FREEDOM WRIST

device

 $45
PYRO MCP

device

 $45
TITAN-SHOULDER

device

 $45
TSSM - TOTAL SHOULDER SYSTEM METAL

device

 $45
NEURAGEN

device

 $29
TENOGLIDE

device

 $29
SYNVISC-ONE

device

 $25
† 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/115295

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Nov 15, 2018 $32,149 DISTAL EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS HAND & WRIST SWIVELOCKS DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST ANCHORS Royalty or License ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Aug 15, 2018 $29,576 DISTAL EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS HAND & WRIST SWIVELOCKS DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST ANCHORS Royalty or License ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
May 15, 2018 $26,847 DISTAL EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS DISPOSABLE KITS SWIVELOCKS DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST ANCHORS Royalty or License ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Feb 15, 2018 $21,519 DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST ANCHORS Royalty or License ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Jan 25, 2018 $12,968 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Jan 25, 2018 $10,343 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Jul 26, 2018 $8,820 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Oct 25, 2018 $6,720 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Jul 26, 2018 $6,090 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Apr 26, 2018 $5,933 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Jan 25, 2018 $5,303 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Apr 26, 2018 $4,830 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Apr 26, 2018 $4,778 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Apr 26, 2018 $4,620 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Apr 26, 2018 $4,515 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
May 10, 2018 $4,200 No Listed Product Consulting ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Jul 26, 2018 $4,200 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Jan 25, 2018 $3,570 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Oct 25, 2018 $2,888 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC
Jul 26, 2018 $2,520 No Listed Product Consulting ARTHREX, INC. STEVEN J LEE MD PC

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/115295

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.