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/1388636
  • 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/1388636
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.

BLAKE WILLIAMSON

Listed Specialty: Ophthalmology
1430 TULANE AVE # SL-50, NEW ORLEANS, LA, 70112-2632

2018 Payments: At a Glance

103

payments

$53,694

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 21 $32,000
Travel and Lodging
 9 $7,944
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $6,000
Food and Beverage
 68 $3,850
Honoraria
 2 $2,400
Nonaccredited Training
 1 $1,500

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†
OMNI SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

 $13,382
TECNIS 1-PIECE IOL

device

 $12,279
TECNIS 3-PIECE IOL

device

 $12,054
TECNIS SYMPHONY IOL

device

 $12,054
TECNIS SYMPHONY TORIC IOL

device

 $12,054
ISTENT INJECT TRABECULAR MICRO-BYPASS STENT SYSTEM

device

 $6,414
IDESIGN ADVANCED WAVESCAN STUDIO

device

 $6,000
ORA

device

 $5,752
CENTURION

device

 $2,450
XIIDRA

drug

 $2,234
CIRRUS HD-OCT

device

 $1,500
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $1,229
CYPASS

device

 $784
CAPITAL EQUIPMENT CART

device

 $239
CATALYS LASER SYSTEM

device

 $146
LUMIGAN

drug

 $139
OZURDEX

drug

 $129
PHACOFRAGMENTATION ACCESSORIES

device

 $129
RESTOR

device

 $127
ACRYSOF

device

 $125
† 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/1388636

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Dec 27, 2018 $6,750 TECNIS 1-PIECE IOL TECNIS 3-PIECE IOL TECNIS SYMPHONY IOL TECNIS SYMPHONY TORIC IOL Consulting JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
May 14, 2018 $4,154 OMNI SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SIGHT SCIENCES, INC. BNW Williamson, LLC
Oct 2, 2018 $4,000 TECNIS 1-PIECE IOL TECNIS 3-PIECE IOL TECNIS SYMPHONY IOL TECNIS SYMPHONY TORIC IOL Consulting JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
Apr 9, 2018 $3,500 ORA Consulting ALCON LABORATORIES INC
Dec 11, 2018 $3,500 ISTENT INJECT TRABECULAR MICRO-BYPASS STENT SYSTEM Consulting GLAUKOS CORPORATION BNW Williamson
May 14, 2018 $3,000 OMNI SURGICAL SYSTEM Consulting SIGHT SCIENCES, INC. BNW Williamson, LLC
Jul 12, 2018 $3,000 IDESIGN ADVANCED WAVESCAN STUDIO Promotional Speaking/Other JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
Jun 19, 2018 $3,000 IDESIGN ADVANCED WAVESCAN STUDIO Promotional Speaking/Other JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
Jul 31, 2018 $2,750 OMNI SURGICAL SYSTEM Consulting SIGHT SCIENCES, INC. BNW Williamson, LLC
May 10, 2018 $2,100 XIIDRA Consulting SHIRE NORTH AMERICAN GROUP INC
Sep 21, 2018 $1,600 ISTENT INJECT TRABECULAR MICRO-BYPASS STENT SYSTEM Honoraria GLAUKOS CORPORATION
Jun 14, 2018 $1,500 CIRRUS HD-OCT Nonaccredited Training CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.
Oct 2, 2018 $1,207 TECNIS 1-PIECE IOL TECNIS 3-PIECE IOL TECNIS SYMPHONY IOL TECNIS SYMPHONY TORIC IOL Travel and Lodging JOHNSON & JOHNSON SURGICAL VISION, INC.
Nov 26, 2018 $1,000 OMNI SURGICAL SYSTEM Consulting SIGHT SCIENCES, INC. BNW Williamson, LLC
Jul 31, 2018 $935 OMNI SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SIGHT SCIENCES, INC. BNW Williamson, LLC
Nov 13, 2018 $800 ISTENT INJECT TRABECULAR MICRO-BYPASS STENT SYSTEM Honoraria GLAUKOS CORPORATION
May 10, 2018 $700 CENTURION Consulting ALCON LABORATORIES INC
Nov 8, 2018 $700 CENTURION Consulting ALCON LABORATORIES INC
Oct 8, 2018 $700 CYPASS Consulting ALCON LABORATORIES INC
May 30, 2018 $500 OMNI SURGICAL SYSTEM Consulting SIGHT SCIENCES, INC. BNW Williamson, 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/1388636

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.