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/153472
  • 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/153472
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.

RICHARD MEYRAT

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
1411 N BECKLEY AVE, PAV III STE#152, DALLAS, TX, 75203-1259

2018 Payments: At a Glance

69

payments

$106,059

payment total

14

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 6 $69,836
Travel and Lodging
 11 $22,465
Food and Beverage
 47 $6,757
Consulting
 4 $5,500
Honoraria
 1 $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†
ROMEO 2 CORTICAL SCREW

device

 $32,772
ROMEO 2 POLYAXIAL SCREW

device

 $29,652
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $27,971
PASS-LP

device

 $9,849
UNID

device

 $9,849
OVERWATCH

device

 $1,916
I-FACTOR PUTTY

device

 $1,661
LLIF

device

 $1,500
GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT

device

 $143
LESSRAY

device

 $128
PRODISC C

device

 $123
MODULUS

device

 $107
MLX

device

 $93
X-CORE

device

 $93
SPINE

device

 $76
COALITION AGX

device

 $48
BENDINI

device

 $44
GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

 $43
VISUALASE

device

 $40
BRIGADE

device

 $39
† 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/153472

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 28, 2018 $32,772 ROMEO 2 CORTICAL SCREW Royalty or License SPINEART SA
Aug 28, 2018 $29,652 ROMEO 2 POLYAXIAL SCREW Royalty or License SPINEART SA
Jun 14, 2018 $10,481 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging SPINEART USA INC
Oct 6, 2018 $7,376 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging SPINEART USA INC
May 9, 2018 $2,389 PASS-LP UNID Royalty or License MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Apr 24, 2018 $2,000 No Listed Product Consulting SPINEART USA INC
Feb 28, 2018 $1,895 PASS-LP UNID Royalty or License MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Aug 6, 2018 $1,674 PASS-LP UNID Royalty or License MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Mar 19, 2018 $1,500 No Listed Product Consulting SPINEART USA INC
Dec 14, 2018 $1,500 LLIF Consulting SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Nov 2, 2018 $1,500 I-FACTOR PUTTY Honoraria CERAPEDICS, INC.
Nov 8, 2018 $1,456 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging SPINEART USA INC
Oct 30, 2018 $1,453 PASS-LP UNID Royalty or License MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Aug 7, 2018 $1,180 OVERWATCH Food and Beverage SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Nov 1, 2018 $1,006 No Listed Product Food and Beverage SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Aug 27, 2018 $948 PASS-LP UNID Travel and Lodging MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Sep 10, 2018 $936 PASS-LP UNID Travel and Lodging MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Apr 23, 2018 $785 No Listed Product Food and Beverage SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Jun 6, 2018 $736 OVERWATCH Food and Beverage SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Apr 16, 2018 $500 No Listed Product Consulting SPINEART USA 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/153472

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.