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/1294303
  • 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/1294303
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.

MINH TRAN

Listed Specialty: Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery)
3341 UNICORN LAKE BLVD, DENTON, TX, 76210-0102

2018 Payments: At a Glance

30

payments

$992

payment total

10

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 30 $992

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†
MITRA CLIP SYSTEM

device

 $216
BIOPROSTHETIC MITRAL VALVE

device

 $214
IMPELLA

device

 $131
ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION

device

 $118
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $104
ATRICURE CRYOSURGICAL SYSTEM

device

 $55
ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM

device

 $46
ISOLATOR TRANSPOLAR PEN

device

 $46
HERCULES

device

 $38
ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM

device

 $37
COBRA FUSION ABLATION SYSTEM

device

 $34
EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX, MODELS

device

 $34
CHANTIX

drug

 $27
ELIQUIS

drug

 $27
SURGICEL FAMILY OF ABSORBABLE HEMOSTATS

device

 $27
AVALUS

device

 $21
VIRTUOSAPH

device

 $20
LIFEVEST

device

 $15
DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

 $14
ECHELON FLEX STAPLER

device

 $14
† 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/1294303

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Dec 30, 2018 $157 BIOPROSTHETIC MITRAL VALVE Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 17, 2018 $131 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Apr 7, 2018 $112 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 5, 2018 $47 ATRICURE CRYOSURGICAL SYSTEM ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Feb 20, 2018 $46 ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM ISOLATOR TRANSPOLAR PEN Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Apr 7, 2018 $38 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 19, 2018 $37 ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Oct 10, 2018 $34 EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX, MODELS ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION COBRA FUSION ABLATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Dec 11, 2018 $28 No Listed Product Food and Beverage GILEAD SCIENCES INC
Jul 7, 2018 $27 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 3, 2018 $26 No Listed Product Food and Beverage GILEAD SCIENCES INC
Nov 13, 2018 $24 BIOPROSTHETIC MITRAL VALVE Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Oct 15, 2018 $22 No Listed Product Food and Beverage GILEAD SCIENCES INC
Jul 24, 2018 $21 AVALUS Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jun 22, 2018 $20 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Feb 15, 2018 $20 VIRTUOSAPH HERCULES Food and Beverage TERUMO CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Oct 9, 2018 $19 BIOPROSTHETIC MITRAL VALVE Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Feb 13, 2018 $18 HERCULES Food and Beverage TERUMO CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Jan 9, 2018 $18 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Feb 7, 2018 $16 No Listed Product Food and Beverage GILEAD SCIENCES 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/1294303

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.