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/151090
  • 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/151090
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.

JOHN SHIAU

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
1099 TARGEE STREET, STATEN ISLAND, NY, 10304-4310

2018 Payments: At a Glance

76

payments

$17,281

payment total

16

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 7 $8,618
Food and Beverage
 66 $5,105
Promotional Speaking/Other
 1 $2,250
Travel and Lodging
 1 $1,007
Honoraria
 1 $300

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†
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

 $6,223
RAMPART DUO INTERBODY FUSION SYSTEM

device

 $3,000
METRX

device

 $2,250
BRIGHTMATTER GUIDE/MODUS V

device

 $1,457
PALISADE PEDICLE SCREW SYSTEM

device

 $1,030
SLC EXTENDED TAB

device

 $593
ACIFT SOLOFUSE

device

 $475
FACETFUSE

device

 $475
INVUE

device

 $475
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $413
ACTIFUSE

device

 $300
PRESTIGE

device

 $283
RIALTO

device

 $229
CD HORIZON

device

 $190
BASE

device

 $143
XLIF

device

 $143
SPINAL IMPLANTS

device

 $118
O-ARM-SPINE

device

 $114
ES2

device

 $97
TRITANIUM

device

 $97
† 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/151090

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Oct 31, 2018 $3,000 RAMPART DUO INTERBODY FUSION SYSTEM Consulting SPINEOLOGY INC.
May 10, 2018 $2,800 IFUSE IMPLANT Consulting SI-BONE, INC.
Jan 8, 2018 $2,250 METRX Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC USA, INC. Shiau Services Llc
Dec 21, 2018 $1,750 IFUSE IMPLANT Consulting SI-BONE, INC.
Mar 1, 2018 $1,030 PALISADE PEDICLE SCREW SYSTEM Food and Beverage SPINEOLOGY INC.
Jan 23, 2018 $1,007 BRIGHTMATTER GUIDE/MODUS V Travel and Lodging SYNAPTIVE MEDICAL INC.
Jan 18, 2018 $475 FACETFUSE ACIFT SOLOFUSE INVUE Consulting SPINEFRONTIER, INC. Ruggiero Consultant Associates LLC
Oct 1, 2018 $300 BRIGHTMATTER GUIDE/MODUS V Honoraria SYNAPTIVE MEDICAL INC.
Feb 13, 2018 $243 SLC EXTENDED TAB Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Aug 27, 2018 $196 No Listed Product Food and Beverage CAMBER SPINE TECHNOLOGIES
Aug 21, 2018 $188 SLC EXTENDED TAB Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Feb 13, 2018 $162 SLC EXTENDED TAB Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
May 15, 2018 $153 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Sep 27, 2018 $150 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Feb 3, 2018 $150 BRIGHTMATTER GUIDE/MODUS V Food and Beverage SYNAPTIVE MEDICAL INC.
Mar 27, 2018 $145 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Nov 15, 2018 $143 BASE XLIF Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Feb 8, 2018 $137 PRESTIGE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Aug 8, 2018 $137 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Mar 6, 2018 $127 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, 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/151090

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.