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/145978
  • 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/145978
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.


JOSEPH SOHN

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
410 SAYBROOK RD, SUITE 100, MIDDLETOWN, CT, 06457-4777

2018 Payments: At a Glance

60

payments

$47,134

payment total

8

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
8 $40,000
Travel and Lodging
12 $4,815
Food and Beverage
40 $2,319

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
XIA

device

$20,253
TRITANIUM

device

$11,462
L5-S1

device

$10,015
ARIA

device

$6,617
AERO

device

$5,628
ES2

device

$5,500
EXCELSIUS - GPS

device

$1,544
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$876
ELSA

device

$718
AVS

device

$307
ANCHOR L

device

$290
BIO4

device

$213
AVIATOR

device

$146
RISE INTRA LIF

device

$140
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$125
POROUS TI CERVICAL

device

$119
GIZA

device

$112
DBM

device

$106
ALIF PLATE

device

$95
NAVIGATOR

device

$69
† 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/145978

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Apr 18, 2018 $10,000 XIA Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 18, 2018 $9,000 XIA Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Jan 10, 2018 $5,500 AERO TRITANIUM ES2 ARIA Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 18, 2018 $5,500 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 23, 2018 $3,200 L5-S1 Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $3,200 L5-S1 Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $2,000 L5-S1 Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Mar 23, 2018 $1,600 L5-S1 Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Feb 21, 2018 $750 XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 5, 2018 $749 ARIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 22, 2018 $718 ELSA Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 8, 2018 $706 EXCELSIUS - GPS Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Mar 2, 2018 $690 NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 27, 2018 $681 EXCELSIUS - GPS Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Feb 23, 2018 $315 XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Feb 22, 2018 $150 TRITANIUM Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jan 18, 2018 $146 AVIATOR ANCHOR L Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Feb 23, 2018 $144 BIO4 ARIA Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 9, 2018 $140 RISE INTRA LIF Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Feb 24, 2018 $131 NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION

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/145978

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.