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/126291
  • 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/126291
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.

BURT YASZAY

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
3030 CHILDRENS WAY, SUITE 410, SAN DIEGO, CA, 92123-4232

2018 Payments: At a Glance

198

payments

$297,785

payment total

11

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 12 $164K
Consulting
 20 $94,871
Travel and Lodging
 24 $18,145
Nonaccredited Training
 1 $8,000
Food and Beverage
 137 $6,266
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $5,714
Honoraria
 1 $900
Gift
 1 $143

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†
RELINE

device

 $79,844
NILE SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $64,844
EXPEDIUM

device

 $50,944
SPINRAZA

drug

 $28,077
ES2

device

 $18,373
REFLECT

device

 $14,477
BENDINI

device

 $13,257
ORTHOPEDIATRICS IMPLANTS

device

 $12,652
XLIF

device

 $8,209
XIA

device

 $2,645
OASYS

device

 $2,556
GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

 $2,385
MAGEC

device

 $1,434
MESA SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $1,258
VIPER

device

 $1,213
NILE

device

 $900
ARIA

device

 $773
AERO

device

 $749
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $378
SYNCHROMED

device

 $310
† 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/126291

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Aug 14, 2018 $75,000 RELINE Royalty or License NUVASIVE, INC.
Feb 16, 2018 $60,496 NILE SPINAL SYSTEM Royalty or License K2M, INC.
Apr 14, 2018 $16,950 SPINRAZA Consulting BIOGEN, INC.
Apr 25, 2018 $15,500 ES2 Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 9, 2018 $14,418 EXPEDIUM Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jan 9, 2018 $13,250 BENDINI Consulting NUVASIVE, INC.
Apr 13, 2018 $10,352 SPINRAZA Travel and Lodging BIOGEN, INC.
Jul 4, 2018 $9,528 EXPEDIUM Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Mar 22, 2018 $8,000 XLIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC.
Jul 4, 2018 $7,725 EXPEDIUM Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Aug 23, 2018 $4,658 EXPEDIUM Promotional Speaking/Other MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC. CHILDRENS SPECIALISTS OF SAN DIEGO
Sep 30, 2018 $4,172 REFLECT Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jul 4, 2018 $4,120 EXPEDIUM Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jun 30, 2018 $3,892 REFLECT Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Dec 31, 2018 $3,820 REFLECT Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
May 17, 2018 $3,573 ORTHOPEDIATRICS IMPLANTS Royalty or License ORTHOPEDIATRICS CORP.
Aug 8, 2018 $3,123 ORTHOPEDIATRICS IMPLANTS Royalty or License ORTHOPEDIATRICS CORP.
Nov 13, 2018 $2,788 ORTHOPEDIATRICS IMPLANTS Royalty or License ORTHOPEDIATRICS CORP.
Sep 13, 2018 $2,600 RELINE Consulting NUVASIVE, INC.
Mar 31, 2018 $2,593 REFLECT Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, 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/126291

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.