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/132655
  • 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/132655
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.

GREGG ALZATE

Listed Specialty: Diagnostic Radiology
8745 AERO DRIVE, STE 200, SAN DIEGO, CA, 92123-1774

2018 Payments: At a Glance

59

payments

$3,444

payment total

16

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 58 $3,360
Travel and Lodging
 1 $84

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†
PENUMBRA SYSTEM

device

 $412
VIABAHN VBX BALLOON EXPANDABLE ENDOPROSTHESIS

device

 $336
COOK MEDICAL ZILVER PTX

device

 $300
INDIGO

device

 $203
EXCLUDER ILIAC BRANCH ENDOPROSTHESIS

device

 $188
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $187
AZUR

device

 $162
COOK MEDICAL CATHETERS

device

 $158
COOK MEDICAL IAA

device

 $142
PENUMBRA RUBY COIL

device

 $140
EKOSONIC

device

 $138
HYDROPEARL

device

 $136
NAVICROSS

device

 $115
ABSOLUTE PRO VASCULAR STENT SYSTEM

device

 $105
AFX

device

 $90
OVATION

device

 $90
METACROSS

device

 $84
VIABAHN ENDOPROSTHESIS WITH HEPARIN BIOACTIVE SURFACE

device

 $81
COOK MEDICAL THORACIC

device

 $77
IGT_D PERIPHERAL

device

 $75
† 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/132655

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Oct 9, 2018 $218 VIABAHN VBX BALLOON EXPANDABLE ENDOPROSTHESIS Food and Beverage W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Jul 16, 2018 $150 PENUMBRA SYSTEM Food and Beverage PENUMBRA, INC.
Oct 29, 2018 $148 PENUMBRA SYSTEM Food and Beverage PENUMBRA, INC.
Mar 20, 2018 $138 EKOSONIC Food and Beverage EKOS CORPORATION
Feb 20, 2018 $136 EXCLUDER ILIAC BRANCH ENDOPROSTHESIS Food and Beverage W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Mar 19, 2018 $135 INDIGO Food and Beverage PENUMBRA, INC.
May 23, 2018 $124 PENUMBRA RUBY COIL Food and Beverage PENUMBRA, INC.
Oct 8, 2018 $123 COOK MEDICAL IAA Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Oct 7, 2018 $120 COOK MEDICAL ZILVER PTX Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Oct 6, 2018 $117 COOK MEDICAL ZILVER PTX Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Jul 7, 2018 $113 COOK MEDICAL CATHETERS Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Jun 9, 2018 $105 ABSOLUTE PRO VASCULAR STENT SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 12, 2018 $90 OVATION AFX Food and Beverage ENDOLOGIX, INC.
Oct 23, 2018 $84 No Listed Product Food and Beverage CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS USA, INC.
Oct 23, 2018 $84 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS USA, INC.
Mar 14, 2018 $78 HYDROPEARL AZUR NAVICROSS Food and Beverage TERUMO MEDICAL CORPORATION
Oct 28, 2018 $77 COOK MEDICAL THORACIC Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Sep 5, 2018 $75 VIABAHN VBX BALLOON EXPANDABLE ENDOPROSTHESIS Food and Beverage W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Feb 21, 2018 $72 HAWKONE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 12, 2018 $65 PENUMBRA SYSTEM Food and Beverage PENUMBRA, 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/132655

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.