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/147837
  • 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/147837
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.


MIR ALI

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
1051 W US ROUTE 6, SUITE 100, MORRIS, IL, 60450-4200

2018 Payments: At a Glance

94

payments

$34,115

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Honoraria
1 $13,063
Consulting
3 $10,625
Travel and Lodging
33 $6,384
Food and Beverage
56 $3,543
Promotional Speaking/Other
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
GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

$13,991
TLIF

device

$7,881
IDENTITI

device

$4,000
XLIF

device

$1,845
MULTIPLE PRODUCTS

device

$1,040
ZERO-P

device

$971
VIPER

device

$918
NAVIGATION

device

$892
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$815
ARSENAL, LLIF, ILLICO

device

$649
PROPEL

device

$407
EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM

device

$403
ADVANCED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$322
OTHER - MIS

device

$264
ARSENAL, LLIF

device

$262
LESSRAY

device

$147
TRITANIUM

device

$142
CHESAPEAKE INTERBODY SYSTEM

device

$112
POROUS TI

device

$107
CASCADIA

device

$100
† 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/147837

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
May 18, 2018 $13,063 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Honoraria K2M, INC.
Nov 29, 2018 $6,625 TLIF Consulting ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Nov 29, 2018 $2,000 IDENTITI Consulting ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Nov 29, 2018 $2,000 IDENTITI Consulting ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Feb 26, 2018 $1,390 XLIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Apr 14, 2018 $581 ARSENAL, LLIF, ILLICO Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Dec 7, 2018 $500 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ARTERIOCYTE MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC. Ali Innovative Spine Solutions
Oct 19, 2018 $442 ZERO-P VIPER NAVIGATION Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jan 26, 2018 $366 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
May 6, 2018 $312 ADVANCED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Mar 6, 2018 $303 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
May 8, 2018 $297 EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Oct 19, 2018 $288 ZERO-P VIPER NAVIGATION Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Sep 5, 2018 $288 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Sep 21, 2018 $242 TLIF Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Sep 5, 2018 $229 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Apr 19, 2018 $205 ARSENAL, LLIF Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
May 8, 2018 $182 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Apr 23, 2018 $172 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Feb 22, 2018 $168 TLIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, 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/147837

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.