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/1229800
  • 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/1229800
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.


DANIEL BERSON

Listed Specialty: Anesthesiology
2304 HANCOCK DR STE 4, AUSTIN, TX, 78756-2540

2018 Payments: At a Glance

49

payments

$29,573

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Accredited Training
5 $19,659
Travel and Lodging
1 $5,000
Food and Beverage
42 $3,414
Consulting
1 $1,500

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
US UNDIVIDED SERV

device

$27,365
COREVALVE EVOLUT

device

$929
MITRA CLIP SYSTEM

device

$283
C3 DELIVERY SYSTEM

device

$177
IMPELLA

device

$141
ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM

device

$124
EVICEL

drug

$122
SURGICEL POWDER

device

$122
SURGIFLO HEMOSTATIC MATRIX FAMILY OF PRODUCTS

device

$122
ECHELON FLEX STAPLER

device

$100
PROXIMATE FAMILY OF OPEN MECHANICAL STAPLERS

device

$100
PERCEVAL

device

$94
CRYOFLEX

device

$70
EXPAREL

drug

$49
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$36
EPIQ 5G

device

$35
AVALUS

device

$25
WATCHMAN

device

$14
VASOVIEW

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.

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
May 14, 2018 $5,511 US UNDIVIDED SERV Accredited Training PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Feb 22, 2018 $5,000 US UNDIVIDED SERV Travel and Lodging PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Dec 4, 2018 $4,862 US UNDIVIDED SERV Accredited Training PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Apr 13, 2018 $4,079 US UNDIVIDED SERV Accredited Training PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Jul 13, 2018 $2,706 US UNDIVIDED SERV Accredited Training PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Aug 28, 2018 $2,500 US UNDIVIDED SERV Accredited Training PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Sep 3, 2018 $1,500 US UNDIVIDED SERV Consulting PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Dec 4, 2018 $832 US UNDIVIDED SERV Food and Beverage PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Jul 13, 2018 $177 C3 DELIVERY SYSTEM Food and Beverage W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
May 10, 2018 $175 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Feb 22, 2018 $168 US UNDIVIDED SERV Food and Beverage PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Mar 26, 2018 $151 COREVALVE EVOLUT Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
May 9, 2018 $141 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Jun 6, 2018 $124 ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Dec 7, 2018 $122 EVICEL SURGICEL POWDER SURGIFLO HEMOSTATIC MATRIX FAMILY OF PRODUCTS Food and Beverage ETHICON US, LLC
Jul 13, 2018 $107 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jun 7, 2018 $100 ECHELON FLEX STAPLER PROXIMATE FAMILY OF OPEN MECHANICAL STAPLERS Food and Beverage ETHICON US, LLC
Aug 24, 2018 $94 COREVALVE EVOLUT Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $94 PERCEVAL Food and Beverage LIVANOVA USA, INC.
Sep 20, 2018 $92 COREVALVE EVOLUT Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, 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/1229800

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.