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/1178609
  • 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/1178609
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.

ALAN BROWN

Listed Specialty: Ophthalmology
1717 SHIPYARD BLVD, STE 140, WILMINGTON, NC, 28403-8019

2018 Payments: At a Glance

36

payments

$2,306

payment total

9

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 36 $2,306

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†
VISUMAX

device

 $448
CATALYS LASER SYSTEM

device

 $377
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $354
OPMI LUMERA

device

 $287
CAPITAL EQUIPMENT CART

device

 $234
ISTENT INJECT TRABECULAR MICRO-BYPASS STENT SYSTEM

device

 $166
CALLISTO EYE

device

 $145
XIIDRA

drug

 $111
TECNIS MULTIFOCAL FAMILY OF 1-PIECE IOLS

device

 $95
BEPREVE

drug

 $90
LOTEMAX

drug

 $90
PROLENSA

drug

 $90
STELLARIS

device

 $88
IOLMASTER 500

device

 $79
ALREX

drug

 $71
MEL 80

device

 $69
CLARUS 500 FUNDUS CAMERA

device

 $57
VERACITY SURGICAL

device

 $54
DUREZOL

drug

 $42
TECNIS ITEC PRELOADED DELIVERY SYSTEM

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/1178609

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 4, 2018 $233 OPMI LUMERA VISUMAX Food and Beverage CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.
Apr 14, 2018 $147 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ALLERGAN INC.
Apr 14, 2018 $145 CALLISTO EYE Food and Beverage CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.
Oct 28, 2018 $128 ISTENT INJECT TRABECULAR MICRO-BYPASS STENT SYSTEM Food and Beverage GLAUKOS CORPORATION
Feb 4, 2018 $119 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT CART Food and Beverage JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
Feb 1, 2018 $114 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT CART Food and Beverage JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
Jan 18, 2018 $111 XIIDRA Food and Beverage SHIRE NORTH AMERICAN GROUP INC
Feb 4, 2018 $109 CATALYS LASER SYSTEM Food and Beverage JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
Apr 15, 2018 $98 VISUMAX Food and Beverage CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.
Feb 2, 2018 $93 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BAUSCH & LOMB, A DIVISION OF BAUSCH HEALTH US, LLC
Oct 12, 2018 $88 STELLARIS Food and Beverage BAUSCH & LOMB, A DIVISION OF BAUSCH HEALTH US, LLC
Jun 1, 2018 $70 TECNIS MULTIFOCAL FAMILY OF 1-PIECE IOLS Food and Beverage JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
Oct 27, 2018 $69 MEL 80 VISUMAX Food and Beverage CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.
Feb 26, 2018 $61 CATALYS LASER SYSTEM Food and Beverage JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
May 31, 2018 $61 CATALYS LASER SYSTEM Food and Beverage JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
Sep 7, 2018 $60 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ALCON LABORATORIES INC
Oct 28, 2018 $57 CLARUS 500 FUNDUS CAMERA Food and Beverage CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.
Oct 27, 2018 $55 No Listed Product Food and Beverage JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
Oct 26, 2018 $54 IOLMASTER 500 OPMI LUMERA VERACITY SURGICAL Food and Beverage CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.
Mar 28, 2018 $54 CATALYS LASER SYSTEM Food and Beverage JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, 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/1178609

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.