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/123918
  • 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/123918
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.


JAMES MALCOLM

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
300 TOWER RD NE, STE 200, MARIETTA, GA, 30060-9403

2018 Payments: At a Glance

79

payments

$91,375

payment total

16

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
4 $38,272
Consulting
4 $30,500
Travel and Lodging
18 $19,151
Food and Beverage
52 $3,382
Nonaccredited Training
1 $70

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
SUSTAIN O

device

$38,272
XIA

device

$17,911
SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM

device

$16,596
TRITANIUM

device

$14,068
MAKO

device

$2,779
ACTIVL ARTIFICIAL DISC

device

$970
PASS-LP

device

$759
UNID

device

$759
MULTIPLE PRODUCTS

device

$438
SERRATO

device

$380
VITALITY

device

$323
OSTEOAMP

device

$291
COFLEX

device

$182
POWER

device

$156
ATTRAX

device

$149
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$149
PALISADE PEDICLE SCREW SYSTEM

device

$133
ACETABULAR

device

$121
KYPHON BALLOON KYPHOPLASTY

device

$112
PRODISC C

device

$105
† 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/123918

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Mar 22, 2018 $16,500 XIA Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
May 10, 2018 $11,000 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 31, 2018 $10,230 SUSTAIN O Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Aug 23, 2018 $10,005 SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM Travel and Lodging 4WEB, INC.
Mar 31, 2018 $9,628 SUSTAIN O Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Sep 30, 2018 $9,359 SUSTAIN O Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jun 30, 2018 $9,054 SUSTAIN O Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Mar 23, 2018 $2,779 TRITANIUM MAKO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 15, 2018 $2,000 SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM Consulting 4WEB, INC.
Aug 23, 2018 $1,732 SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM Travel and Lodging 4WEB, INC.
May 31, 2018 $1,000 SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM Consulting 4WEB, INC.
Mar 22, 2018 $997 XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 29, 2018 $866 SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM Travel and Lodging 4WEB, INC.
Jun 23, 2018 $638 ACTIVL ARTIFICIAL DISC Travel and Lodging AESCULAP IMPLANT SYSTEMS, LLC
Aug 30, 2018 $542 PASS-LP UNID Travel and Lodging MEDICREA USA, CORP.
May 17, 2018 $258 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Jun 1, 2018 $243 SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM Travel and Lodging 4WEB, INC.
Feb 23, 2018 $236 XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 23, 2018 $212 ACTIVL ARTIFICIAL DISC Travel and Lodging AESCULAP IMPLANT SYSTEMS, LLC
Sep 8, 2018 $175 PASS-LP UNID Travel and Lodging MEDICREA USA, CORP.

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/123918

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.