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/1240758
  • 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/1240758
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.

AHSAN ACHTCHI

Listed Specialty: Internal Medicine
69 JESSE HILL JR DR SE, ATLANTA, GA, 30303-3033

2018 Payments: At a Glance

37

payments

$1,920

payment total

14

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 36 $1,706
Travel and Lodging
 1 $214

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†
RESOLUTE

device

 $443
IMPELLA

device

 $378
GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION

device

 $202
ASAHI FIELDER XT CORNARY GUIDE WIRE

device

 $144
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $126
MITRA CLIP SYSTEM

device

 $125
OPTIS CORONARY IMAGING SYSTEM

device

 $112
EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE

device

 $97
IGT_D PERIPHERAL

device

 $66
LIFEVEST

device

 $42
PERIPHERAL ORBITAL ATHERECTOMY SYSTEM

device

 $36
CORONARY ORBITAL ATHERECTOMY SYSTEM

device

 $33
REPATHA

drug

 $28
LEXISCAN

drug

 $21
IMAGE GUIDED THERAPY DEVICES _ PERIPHERAL

device

 $21
JARDIANCE

drug

 $19
PRADAXA

drug

 $19
PRAXBIND

drug

 $19
CARDENE

drug

 $13
CLEVIPREX

drug

 $13
† 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/1240758

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 19, 2018 $214 RESOLUTE Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 19, 2018 $186 RESOLUTE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jun 14, 2018 $144 ASAHI FIELDER XT CORNARY GUIDE WIRE Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 7, 2018 $131 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Oct 12, 2018 $125 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 4, 2018 $123 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Dec 22, 2018 $112 OPTIS CORONARY IMAGING SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 25, 2018 $105 GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Aug 23, 2018 $105 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
May 4, 2018 $97 GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jun 26, 2018 $97 EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE Food and Beverage EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Aug 16, 2018 $93 No Listed Product Food and Beverage CELONOVA BIOSCIENCES, INC.
Dec 6, 2018 $33 CORONARY ORBITAL ATHERECTOMY SYSTEM Food and Beverage CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS INC.
Oct 9, 2018 $24 IGT_D PERIPHERAL Food and Beverage PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Oct 18, 2018 $22 IGT_D PERIPHERAL Food and Beverage PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Jan 19, 2018 $21 RESOLUTE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 27, 2018 $21 LEXISCAN Food and Beverage ASTELLAS PHARMA US INC
Sep 11, 2018 $21 IGT_D PERIPHERAL Food and Beverage PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Dec 13, 2018 $21 IMAGE GUIDED THERAPY DEVICES _ PERIPHERAL Food and Beverage PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Jul 5, 2018 $19 PRADAXA JARDIANCE PRAXBIND Food and Beverage BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM PHARMACEUTICALS, 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/1240758

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.