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/121226
  • 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/121226
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.

ZACHARIAH GEORGE

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
1 GUSTAVE L LEVY PL, BOX #1136, NEW YORK, NY, 10029-6500

2018 Payments: At a Glance

43

payments

$1,899

payment total

5

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 40 $1,440
Travel and Lodging
 3 $459

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†
AXIUM INS DRG IPG

device

 $617
COHERE

device

 $193
SCS IPGS

device

 $166
INTELLIS

device

 $161
PRODIGY FAMILY OF SCS IPGS

device

 $152
PROCLAIM FAMILY OF SCS IPGS

device

 $138
ARCHON

device

 $131
ALIF

device

 $113
X-CORE MINI

device

 $49
MODULUS

device

 $48
ILIF

device

 $39
DIVERGENCE-L

device

 $27
ACTIFUSE

device

 $26
CD HORIZON

device

 $26
SPECTRA WAVEWRITER

device

 $24
BASE

device

 $24
POWEREASE

device

 $21
TLX

device

 $20
AQUAMANTYS

device

 $17
VUEPOINT

device

 $11
† 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/121226

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Oct 30, 2018 $358 AXIUM INS DRG IPG Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 12, 2018 $166 SCS IPGS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 26, 2018 $152 PRODIGY FAMILY OF SCS IPGS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Feb 21, 2018 $150 COHERE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
May 24, 2018 $145 INTELLIS Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Sep 18, 2018 $131 ARCHON Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Aug 20, 2018 $126 PROCLAIM FAMILY OF SCS IPGS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Oct 27, 2018 $125 AXIUM INS DRG IPG Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 9, 2018 $93 AXIUM INS DRG IPG Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jun 19, 2018 $40 ALIF MODULUS Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Dec 12, 2018 $39 ALIF ILIF Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Oct 3, 2018 $35 ALIF X-CORE MINI Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
May 23, 2018 $26 ACTIFUSE Food and Beverage BAXTER HEALTHCARE
Sep 6, 2018 $24 SPECTRA WAVEWRITER Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
May 25, 2018 $21 POWEREASE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Feb 20, 2018 $20 DIVERGENCE-L Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Oct 12, 2018 $20 TLX Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Oct 27, 2018 $18 AXIUM INS DRG IPG Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 22, 2018 $17 CD HORIZON Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jul 30, 2018 $15 INTELLIS Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, 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/121226

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.