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/1391064
  • 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/1391064
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.


JUSTIN SINGER

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
25 MICHIGAN ST NE STE 6100, GRAND RAPIDS, MI, 49503-2561

2018 Payments: At a Glance

158

payments

$15,699

payment total

11

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
139 $4,770
Consulting
2 $4,550
Travel and Lodging
15 $3,711
Nonaccredited Training
1 $2,500
Education
1 $168

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
TREVO

device

$5,517
CATALYST

device

$4,679
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$3,076
FRED

device

$1,527
LVIS

device

$1,511
SOLITAIRE

device

$1,357
SURPASS

device

$1,302
PHIL

device

$1,201
HYPERSOFT 3D COIL

device

$1,179
SCEPTER XC BALLOON CATHETER

device

$1,179
SOFIA

device

$871
WEB

device

$814
TARGET

device

$429
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$382
HYDROSOFT 3D COIL

device

$348
HEADWAY MICROCATHETER

device

$345
SCEPTER C BALLOON CATHETER

device

$268
PIPELINE

device

$264
ATLAS

device

$195
INFINITY

device

$189
† 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/1391064

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Dec 20, 2018 $4,200 TREVO CATALYST Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 15, 2018 $2,500 No Listed Product Nonaccredited Training NICO CORPORATION
Dec 12, 2018 $841 SOLITAIRE Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jan 19, 2018 $639 PHIL FRED HYPERSOFT 3D COIL SCEPTER XC BALLOON CATHETER LVIS Travel and Lodging MICROVENTION, INC.
Feb 17, 2018 $505 LVIS FRED HYPERSOFT 3D COIL PHIL SCEPTER XC BALLOON CATHETER Travel and Lodging MICROVENTION, INC.
Nov 19, 2018 $367 SURPASS Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 20, 2018 $350 NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 21, 2018 $336 TREVO CATALYST Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jan 22, 2018 $319 HEADWAY MICROCATHETER SOFIA WEB Food and Beverage MICROVENTION, INC.
May 14, 2018 $284 No Listed Product Food and Beverage NICO CORPORATION
Oct 9, 2018 $194 PIPELINE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Dec 3, 2018 $189 SURPASS Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 12, 2018 $168 SOLITAIRE Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
May 1, 2018 $168 No Listed Product Education CARL ZEISS MEDITEC, INC.
Mar 19, 2018 $167 SOFIA WEB LVIS FRED SCEPTER C BALLOON CATHETER Travel and Lodging MICROVENTION, INC.
Dec 3, 2018 $158 SURPASS Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 2, 2018 $146 TARGET Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 28, 2018 $144 TREVO Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 28, 2018 $137 SURPASS Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 6, 2018 $136 HYDROSOFT 3D COIL Food and Beverage MICROVENTION, 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/1391064

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.