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/1345731
  • 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/1345731
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.

DAVID CAUTHON

Listed Specialty: Podiatrist, Foot & Ankle Surgery
9150 HUEBNER RD, SUITE 270, SAN ANTONIO, TX, 78240-1558

2018 Payments: At a Glance

21

payments

$1,411

payment total

6

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 17 $772
Travel and Lodging
 2 $554
Education
 2 $85

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†
HAT-TRICK

device

 $874
TOPAZ

device

 $673
VLP MINI-MOD

device

 $673
HOFFMANN

device

 $169
EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS

device

 $155
PERI-LOC ANKLE FUSION

device

 $155
REGRANEX

drug

 $155
ANCHORAGE

device

 $99
BIO4

device

 $99
EASY CLIP

device

 $99
ARTHROSCOPIC CANNULAS & TROCARS

device

 $89
FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR

device

 $89
DR. COMFORT DIABETIC SHOES AND INSERTS

device

 $71
ALLOWRAP

device

 $70
ASNIS

device

 $70
AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR

device

 $59
AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR

device

 $59
AMNIOEXCEL

device

 $39
BILAYER WOUND MATRIX BWM

device

 $39
FLOWABLE

device

 $39
† 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/1345731

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 25, 2018 $518 HAT-TRICK VLP MINI-MOD TOPAZ Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Aug 28, 2018 $124 REGRANEX Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Aug 21, 2018 $99 ANCHORAGE HOFFMANN EASY CLIP BIO4 Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jan 26, 2018 $77 HAT-TRICK Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 27, 2018 $73 FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR HAT-TRICK ARTHROSCOPIC CANNULAS & TROCARS Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Mar 29, 2018 $71 DR. COMFORT DIABETIC SHOES AND INSERTS Education RIKCO INTERNATIONAL, LLC
Feb 21, 2018 $70 ASNIS HOFFMANN ALLOWRAP Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jan 26, 2018 $65 EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS HAT-TRICK PERI-LOC ANKLE FUSION VLP MINI-MOD TOPAZ Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Mar 6, 2018 $59 AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR Food and Beverage AXOGEN
Jan 27, 2018 $54 EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS HAT-TRICK PERI-LOC ANKLE FUSION VLP MINI-MOD TOPAZ Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Apr 17, 2018 $39 BILAYER WOUND MATRIX BWM INTEGRA WOUND MATRIX IWM AMNIOEXCEL IDRT FLOWABLE Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Jan 25, 2018 $36 EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS HAT-TRICK PERI-LOC ANKLE FUSION VLP MINI-MOD TOPAZ Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 26, 2018 $19 HAT-TRICK Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 26, 2018 $16 FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR HAT-TRICK ARTHROSCOPIC CANNULAS & TROCARS Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
May 3, 2018 $16 SIVEXTRO Food and Beverage MERCK SHARP & DOHME CORPORATION
Sep 4, 2018 $16 SANTYL REGRANEX Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Oct 25, 2018 $15 SANTYL REGRANEX Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jul 30, 2018 $15 SIVEXTRO Food and Beverage MERCK SHARP & DOHME CORPORATION
Mar 29, 2018 $14 No Listed Product Education RIKCO INTERNATIONAL, LLC
Jan 27, 2018 $9 HAT-TRICK EXTREMITIES ARTHROSCOPES Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, 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/1345731

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.