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/145347
  • 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/145347
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.

MITCHELL SIMONS

Listed Specialty: Pain Medicine
4243 HUNT RD, CINCINNATI, OH, 45242-6645

2018 Payments: At a Glance

399

payments

$5,354

payment total

27

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 397 $3,624
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $1,730

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†
ZOHYDRO ER

drug

 $1,916
LYRICA

drug

 $436
AIMOVIG

drug

 $402
EMBEDA

drug

 $395
FLECTOR PATCH

drug

 $378
MORPHABOND ER

drug

 $332
SPECTRA WAVEWRITER

device

 $273
LUCEMYRA

drug

 $255
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $253
TRINTELLIX

drug

 $191
RELISTOR

drug

 $166
ZIPSOR

drug

 $166
CAMBIA

drug

 $148
GRALISE

drug

 $148
HORIZANT

drug

 $142
XTAMPZA

drug

 $135
AMITIZA

drug

 $115
SYMPROIC

drug

 $70
TROKENDI XR

drug

 $61
PROCLAIM FAMILY OF SCS IPGS

device

 $55
† 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/145347

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
May 17, 2018 $1,480 ZOHYDRO ER Promotional Speaking/Other PERNIX THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS, INC.
Apr 24, 2018 $250 ZOHYDRO ER Promotional Speaking/Other PERNIX THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS, INC.
Oct 9, 2018 $151 LUCEMYRA Food and Beverage US WORLDMEDS, LLC
May 30, 2018 $109 AIMOVIG Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Sep 13, 2018 $94 AIMOVIG Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Oct 30, 2018 $93 No Listed Product Food and Beverage LILLY USA, LLC
May 2, 2018 $88 ZOHYDRO ER Food and Beverage PERNIX THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS, INC.
Feb 8, 2018 $85 RELISTOR Food and Beverage SALIX PHARMACEUTICALS, A DIVISION OF BAUSCH HEALTH US, LLC
Oct 24, 2018 $35 SENZA SPINAL CORD STIMULATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage NEVRO CORP.
May 17, 2018 $29 PROCLAIM FAMILY OF SCS IPGS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 17, 2018 $26 LYRICA EMBEDA FLECTOR PATCH Food and Beverage PFIZER INC.
Aug 29, 2018 $25 AIMOVIG Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Nov 20, 2018 $23 AIMOVIG Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
Aug 14, 2018 $22 LYRICA EMBEDA FLECTOR PATCH Food and Beverage PFIZER INC.
Oct 10, 2018 $22 LYRICA EMBEDA FLECTOR PATCH Food and Beverage PFIZER INC.
Oct 8, 2018 $21 LUCEMYRA RELISTOR Food and Beverage SALIX PHARMACEUTICALS, A DIVISION OF BAUSCH HEALTH US, LLC
May 8, 2018 $21 LYRICA EMBEDA FLECTOR PATCH Food and Beverage PFIZER INC.
Sep 19, 2018 $21 AIMOVIG Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Aug 7, 2018 $20 ZOHYDRO ER Food and Beverage PERNIX THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 6, 2018 $20 LUCEMYRA RELISTOR Food and Beverage SALIX PHARMACEUTICALS, A DIVISION OF BAUSCH HEALTH US, 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/145347

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.