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/156151
  • 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/156151
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.


JUSTIN MCWILLIAMS

Listed Specialty: Vascular & Interventional Radiology
757 WESTWOOD PLZ, 2ND FLOOR, SUITE 2125C, LOS ANGELES, CA, 90095-8358

2018 Payments: At a Glance

72

payments

$37,540

payment total

20

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
4 $20,108
Promotional Speaking/Other
4 $9,800
Travel and Lodging
14 $3,697
Food and Beverage
49 $2,576
Nonaccredited Training
1 $1,360

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
EMBOZENE

device

$10,674
OSTIAL PRO STENT POSITIONING SYSTEM

device

$9,858
PENUMBRA RUBY COIL

device

$5,323
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$4,872
THERAPIES

device

$2,175
INDIGO

device

$1,464
THERASPHERE

device

$1,360
SUREFIRE INFUSION SYSTEMS

device

$244
GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION

device

$236
CERTUS 140 MICROWAVE ABLATION SYSTEM

device

$180
GENERAL EMBOLICS

device

$172
GENERAL ATHERECTOMY

device

$137
OPTION

device

$136
FUSION BIOLINE

device

$111
ELIQUIS

drug

$100
EKOSONIC

device

$93
GENERAL NONVASCULAR INTERVENTION

device

$77
CAPIJECT

device

$64
IGT_D PERIPHERAL

device

$57
PERCLOSE PROGLIDE SUTURE MEDIATED CLOSURE SYSTEM

device

$48
† 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/156151

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Sep 19, 2018 $9,858 OSTIAL PRO STENT POSITIONING SYSTEM Consulting MERIT MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC
Sep 26, 2018 $5,625 EMBOZENE Consulting BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Mar 28, 2018 $4,300 No Listed Product Consulting SIEMENS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS USA, INC.
Nov 6, 2018 $2,500 EMBOZENE Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 26, 2018 $2,500 EMBOZENE Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Nov 29, 2018 $2,400 PENUMBRA RUBY COIL Promotional Speaking/Other PENUMBRA, INC.
Sep 7, 2018 $2,400 PENUMBRA RUBY COIL Promotional Speaking/Other PENUMBRA, INC.
Dec 17, 2018 $1,360 THERASPHERE Nonaccredited Training BIOCOMPATIBLES, INC.
Aug 8, 2018 $589 THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 28, 2018 $516 INDIGO Travel and Lodging PENUMBRA, INC.
Oct 22, 2018 $497 THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Nov 7, 2018 $458 INDIGO Travel and Lodging PENUMBRA, INC.
Mar 27, 2018 $450 THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Mar 20, 2018 $325 No Listed Product Consulting COOK INCORPORATED
Oct 23, 2018 $282 THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Apr 24, 2018 $244 SUREFIRE INFUSION SYSTEMS Food and Beverage SUREFIRE MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 7, 2018 $179 INDIGO Food and Beverage PENUMBRA, INC.
Jun 13, 2018 $178 GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Oct 22, 2018 $169 THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 30, 2018 $158 INDIGO Travel and Lodging PENUMBRA, 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/156151

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.