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/138625
  • 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/138625
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.

ALI AKBARY

Listed Specialty: Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
306 WESTWOOD AVE, SUITE 401, HIGH POINT, NC, 27262-4341

2018 Payments: At a Glance

125

payments

$8,634

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Travel and Lodging
 15 $4,750
Food and Beverage
 110 $3,883

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†
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $2,743
AGILIS NXT EP INTRODUCER

device

 $1,293
WATCHMAN

device

 $1,124
REVEAL LINQ

device

 $1,062
SELECTSECURE

device

 $941
ARCTIC FRONT

device

 $195
SENTUS

device

 $177
BRILINTA

drug

 $164
CLARIA MRI

device

 $162
AZURE

device

 $139
MICRA

device

 $102
VIGILANT

device

 $87
IGT DEVICE UNDIVIDED

device

 $83
MITRA CLIP SYSTEM

device

 $49
VIEWFLEX XTRA ICE CATHETER

device

 $43
TYRX

device

 $36
ASSURITY PACEMAKER

device

 $32
REPATHA

drug

 $27
IMPELLA

device

 $22
ENTRESTO

drug

 $17
† 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/138625

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Oct 19, 2018 $640 AGILIS NXT EP INTRODUCER Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 3, 2018 $624 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Nov 4, 2018 $482 AGILIS NXT EP INTRODUCER Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 9, 2018 $450 REVEAL LINQ Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jun 22, 2018 $424 WATCHMAN Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 7, 2018 $371 REVEAL LINQ Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Dec 18, 2018 $348 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Feb 9, 2018 $339 SELECTSECURE Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Dec 18, 2018 $329 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Jun 22, 2018 $316 WATCHMAN Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jun 23, 2018 $243 WATCHMAN Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Nov 8, 2018 $175 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Sep 10, 2018 $174 REVEAL LINQ Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $164 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $164 SENTUS Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Sep 7, 2018 $150 CLARIA MRI Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Apr 26, 2018 $146 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Feb 28, 2018 $145 SELECTSECURE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 11, 2018 $129 ARCTIC FRONT Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Feb 10, 2018 $127 SELECTSECURE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, 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/138625

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.