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/1288962
  • 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/1288962
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.


GREGORY LOPEZ

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
101 THE CITY DRIVE, PAVILION 3, 2ND FLOOR, ORANGE, CA, 92868

2018 Payments: At a Glance

49

payments

$4,628

payment total

7

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
40 $1,648
Consulting
1 $1,500
Travel and Lodging
8 $1,480

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
NAV - CRANIALMAP NUERO SOFTWARE AND INSTRUMENTATION

device

$1,500
VLIFT

device

$953
TRITANIUM

device

$748
ES2

device

$412
NAV - NAV3 NAVIGATION PLATFORM

device

$328
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

$276
PRECICE

device

$179
MODULUS

device

$168
LESSRAY

device

$167
NAV - SPINEMAP 3D NAVIGATION SOFTWARE AND INSTRUMENTATION

device

$162
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$121
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$64
XLIF

device

$45
ACTIVL ARTIFICIAL DISC

device

$33
OTHER PRODUCT

device

$26
AVIATOR

device

$26
ALIF

device

$21
RELINE

device

$21
OSTEOCEL

device

$20
ESCALATE

device

$19
† 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/1288962

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jul 30, 2018 $1,500 NAV - CRANIALMAP NUERO SOFTWARE AND INSTRUMENTATION Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 20, 2018 $329 ES2 TRITANIUM Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 6, 2018 $199 VLIFT Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 18, 2018 $179 PRECICE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Jul 7, 2018 $173 VLIFT Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 24, 2018 $173 NAV - NAV3 NAVIGATION PLATFORM TRITANIUM Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 27, 2018 $169 VLIFT Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 11, 2018 $168 MODULUS Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Apr 24, 2018 $155 NAV - NAV3 NAVIGATION PLATFORM TRITANIUM Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 6, 2018 $146 VLIFT Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jan 11, 2018 $140 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Jun 27, 2018 $136 VLIFT Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 25, 2018 $133 NAV - SPINEMAP 3D NAVIGATION SOFTWARE AND INSTRUMENTATION Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 20, 2018 $121 No Listed Product Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Jun 21, 2018 $109 LESSRAY Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Mar 19, 2018 $105 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Mar 1, 2018 $83 ES2 Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 7, 2018 $72 VLIFT Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 21, 2018 $58 LESSRAY Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Jun 22, 2018 $33 XLIF Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, 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/1288962

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.