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/1387017
  • 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/1387017
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.

STELIOS KOUTSOUMBELIS

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
651 OLD COUNTRY RD, PLAINVIEW, NY, 11803-4938

2018 Payments: At a Glance

49

payments

$36,412

payment total

9

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 6 $18,900
Honoraria
 2 $13,350
Travel and Lodging
 13 $2,333
Food and Beverage
 28 $1,828

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†
GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

 $15,352
MORPHEUS

drug

 $10,000
PRODISC C

device

 $5,500
TRANSOM

device

 $3,000
BACS

device

 $588
PRODISC L

device

 $427
MOJAVE PL 3D EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM

device

 $310
ACTILIF C FLX

device

 $157
EXPEDIUM

device

 $154
GAMMA

device

 $148
SONICANCHOR

device

 $147
ALTOS

device

 $136
MESA SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $121
STALIF C-TI

device

 $68
PICO

device

 $65
ACTIFUSE

device

 $51
MAP3 CELLULAR ALLOGENEIC BONE GRAFT

device

 $47
NANOSS ABGS FAMILY

device

 $45
BRAINLAB

device

 $31
STAILIF C FLX

device

 $30
† 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/1387017

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Sep 20, 2018 $10,300 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Honoraria K2M, INC.
Jun 21, 2018 $10,000 MORPHEUS Consulting BIOGENNIX, LLC
Jun 11, 2018 $5,500 PRODISC C Consulting CENTINEL SPINE, LLC
Jun 14, 2018 $3,050 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Honoraria K2M, INC.
Feb 27, 2018 $2,000 TRANSOM Consulting CENTINEL SPINE, LLC
Jan 2, 2018 $1,000 TRANSOM Consulting CENTINEL SPINE, LLC
Jul 2, 2018 $427 PRODISC L Travel and Lodging CENTINEL SPINE, LLC
Aug 29, 2018 $367 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Sep 9, 2018 $357 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Sep 18, 2018 $346 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Oct 11, 2018 $200 BACS Consulting K2M, INC.
Nov 29, 2018 $200 BACS Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 9, 2018 $180 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Dec 18, 2018 $157 ACTILIF C FLX Food and Beverage CENTINEL SPINE, LLC
Feb 28, 2018 $147 SONICANCHOR Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 6, 2018 $146 MOJAVE PL 3D EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Sep 4, 2018 $146 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Sep 5, 2018 $145 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Jun 6, 2018 $145 MOJAVE PL 3D EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Jan 25, 2018 $136 ALTOS Food and Beverage CENTINEL SPINE, LLC

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/1387017

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.