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/134500
  • 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/134500
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.

WILLIAM MASSENGALE

Listed Specialty: Dermatology
5326 O'DONOVAN DRIVE, BATON ROUGE, LA, 70808-9153

2018 Payments: At a Glance

178

payments

$11,384

payment total

24

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Promotional Speaking/Other
 4 $8,000
Food and Beverage
 174 $3,384

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†
HUMIRA

drug

 $6,557
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $2,220
TALTZ

drug

 $392
COSENTYX

drug

 $379
DORYX

drug

 $351
CERACADE

drug

 $202
TARGADOX

drug

 $202
LUXAMEND

drug

 $202
TREMFYA

drug

 $187
FINACEA

drug

 $128
DUPIXENT

drug

 $118
EUCRISA

drug

 $112
AMELUZ

drug

 $105
BF-RHODOLED

device

 $105
CIMZIA

drug

 $93
SILIQ

drug

 $92
ONEXTON

drug

 $83
ENBREL

drug

 $68
EXELDERM

drug

 $68
ELIDEL

drug

 $66
† 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/134500

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Mar 19, 2018 $2,000 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ABBVIE, INC. W Trent Massengale, MD LLC
Jan 15, 2018 $2,000 HUMIRA Promotional Speaking/Other ABBVIE, INC. W Trent Massengale, MD LLC
Oct 22, 2018 $2,000 HUMIRA Promotional Speaking/Other ABBVIE, INC. W Trent Massengale, MD LLC
May 21, 2018 $2,000 HUMIRA Promotional Speaking/Other ABBVIE, INC. W Trent Massengale, MD LLC
Apr 12, 2018 $123 COSENTYX Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
Jul 12, 2018 $122 COSENTYX Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
Oct 17, 2018 $114 HUMIRA Food and Beverage ABBVIE, INC.
Jan 10, 2018 $105 HUMIRA Food and Beverage ABBVIE, INC.
Aug 9, 2018 $102 TREMFYA Food and Beverage JANSSEN SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS, LLC
Sep 13, 2018 $100 TALTZ Food and Beverage LILLY USA, LLC
Feb 8, 2018 $98 TALTZ Food and Beverage LILLY USA, LLC
May 16, 2018 $93 HUMIRA Food and Beverage ABBVIE, INC.
Mar 14, 2018 $90 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ABBVIE, INC.
Sep 11, 2018 $48 HUMIRA Food and Beverage ABBVIE, INC.
Jun 28, 2018 $31 CIMZIA Food and Beverage UCB, INC.
Feb 28, 2018 $29 No Listed Product Food and Beverage JOURNEY MEDICAL CORPORATION
Oct 9, 2018 $28 FINACEA Food and Beverage LEO PHARMA INC.
Apr 24, 2018 $26 ENBREL Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Sep 13, 2018 $26 CERACADE LUXAMEND TARGADOX Food and Beverage JOURNEY MEDICAL CORPORATION
Nov 7, 2018 $25 ILUMYA Food and Beverage SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES 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/134500

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.