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/151675
  • 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/151675
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.


PARVEZ SULTAN

Listed Specialty: Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery)
2871 ACTON ROAD, SUITE 100, BIRMINGHAM, AL, 35243-2560

2018 Payments: At a Glance

119

payments

$18,289

payment total

14

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Promotional Speaking/Other
2 $7,880
Travel and Lodging
18 $7,063
Food and Beverage
99 $3,346

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
OCTOPUS

device

$4,757
COSEAL

device

$4,638
FLOSEAL

drug

$4,418
ENDURANT

device

$1,206
ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM

device

$901
ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM

device

$901
VALIANT CAPTIVIA

device

$496
VALIANT NAVION

device

$423
DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

$201
FREESTYLE

device

$188
ECM

device

$176
COREVALVE EVOLUT

device

$169
MOSAIC

device

$160
IMPELLA

device

$142
PREVELEAK

device

$121
TACHOSIL

drug

$121
CRYOFLEX

device

$64
AORTIC AND MITRAL TISSUE STENTED VALVES

device

$59
CONFORMABLE TAG THORACIC ENDOPROSTHESIS

device

$38
OPEN PIVOT

device

$28
† 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/151675

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 11, 2018 $3,960 FLOSEAL Promotional Speaking/Other BAXTER HEALTHCARE
Feb 8, 2018 $3,920 COSEAL Promotional Speaking/Other BAXTER HEALTHCARE
Jun 27, 2018 $2,184 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Apr 4, 2018 $709 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Feb 21, 2018 $702 ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging ATRICURE, INC.
Oct 18, 2018 $665 ENDURANT Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jun 29, 2018 $625 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jun 29, 2018 $407 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 11, 2018 $257 FLOSEAL Travel and Lodging BAXTER HEALTHCARE
Oct 31, 2018 $212 VALIANT NAVION Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Oct 19, 2018 $212 VALIANT NAVION Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Mar 28, 2018 $201 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Feb 9, 2018 $182 COSEAL Travel and Lodging BAXTER HEALTHCARE
Jan 23, 2018 $166 COSEAL Travel and Lodging BAXTER HEALTHCARE
Apr 5, 2018 $165 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Apr 2, 2018 $160 FREESTYLE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 23, 2018 $157 COSEAL Travel and Lodging BAXTER HEALTHCARE
Mar 6, 2018 $156 COREVALVE EVOLUT Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 31, 2018 $142 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Oct 25, 2018 $121 TACHOSIL PREVELEAK Food and Beverage BAXTER HEALTHCARE

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/151675

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.