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/136518
  • 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/136518
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.

ALBORZ HASSANKHANI

Listed Specialty: Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
5525 GROSSMONT CENTER DR STE 609, LA MESA, CA, 91942-3009

2018 Payments: At a Glance

95

payments

$4,194

payment total

14

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 87 $2,153
Promotional Speaking/Other
 5 $1,250
Travel and Lodging
 3 $791

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†
EMBLEM

device

 $1,130
MICRA

device

 $611
WATCHMAN

device

 $566
CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM

device

 $282
EMBLEM SICD ELECTRODE DELIVERY SYSTEM

device

 $250
AZURE

device

 $167
MITRA CLIP SYSTEM

device

 $125
ENTRESTO

drug

 $123
XOLAIR

drug

 $117
XIENCE ALPINE CORNARY STENT SYSTEM

device

 $90
LIFEVEST

device

 $86
BRILINTA

drug

 $78
INVOKANA

drug

 $73
INTELLATIP

device

 $51
AMPLIA MRI

device

 $50
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $45
RHYTHMVIEW WORK STATIONS

device

 $44
XARELTO

drug

 $43
GENERAL TACHY

device

 $37
ELIQUIS

drug

 $31
† 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/136518

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 16, 2018 $417 WATCHMAN Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jan 10, 2018 $250 EMBLEM Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION PACIFIC ARRHYTHMIA SERVICE INC
Jun 27, 2018 $250 EMBLEM Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION PACIFIC ARRHYTHMIA SERVICE INC
Mar 21, 2018 $250 EMBLEM Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION PACIFIC ARRHYTHMIA SERVICE INC
Aug 8, 2018 $250 EMBLEM SICD ELECTRODE DELIVERY SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION PACIFIC ARRHYTHMIA SERVICE INC
Feb 7, 2018 $250 EMBLEM Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION PACIFIC ARRHYTHMIA SERVICE INC
Jul 12, 2018 $191 MICRA Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jul 12, 2018 $183 MICRA Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 20, 2018 $167 CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Feb 17, 2018 $149 WATCHMAN Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Dec 12, 2018 $125 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Dec 6, 2018 $121 AZURE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Oct 23, 2018 $117 XOLAIR Food and Beverage GENENTECH USA, INC.
Nov 27, 2018 $115 CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Oct 9, 2018 $93 MICRA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jun 28, 2018 $73 INVOKANA Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Jul 12, 2018 $56 MICRA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 15, 2018 $51 EMBLEM Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Oct 9, 2018 $50 XIENCE ALPINE CORNARY STENT SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Oct 9, 2018 $40 XIENCE ALPINE CORNARY STENT SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES

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/136518

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.