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/1638
  • 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/1638
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.

THAMPI JOHN

Listed Specialty: Cardiovascular Disease
30 RIVER PARK PL W, STE 330, FRESNO, CA, 93720-1545

2018 Payments: At a Glance

104

payments

$9,230

payment total

18

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 95 $5,799
Travel and Lodging
 8 $3,426
Education
 1 $5

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†
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $4,360
GENERAL THERAPIES

device

 $543
ECM

device

 $471
WATCHMAN

device

 $459
BAROSTIM NEO SYSTEM

device

 $407
ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM

device

 $291
GENERAL BRADY

device

 $287
IMPELLA

device

 $266
CLARIA MRI

device

 $260
EVERA

device

 $188
ENTRESTO

drug

 $163
ADVISA

device

 $152
ELIQUIS

drug

 $152
QUADRA ALLURE MP RF CRT PACEMKR

device

 $146
XARELTO

drug

 $142
MICRA

device

 $135
OCALIVA

drug

 $125
LATITUDE

device

 $107
ACCOLADE

device

 $100
EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX, MODELS

device

 $94
† 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/1638

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Dec 14, 2018 $845 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Dec 14, 2018 $640 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 3, 2018 $624 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Dec 18, 2018 $375 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Oct 5, 2018 $333 GENERAL THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Dec 14, 2018 $245 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Apr 13, 2018 $243 WATCHMAN Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Apr 14, 2018 $215 WATCHMAN Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Oct 6, 2018 $209 GENERAL THERAPIES Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Dec 15, 2018 $188 EVERA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 8, 2018 $184 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Dec 15, 2018 $164 CLARIA MRI Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 19, 2018 $150 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Apr 26, 2018 $149 ECM Food and Beverage AZIYO BIOLOGICS, INC.
Feb 7, 2018 $141 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Dec 19, 2018 $132 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 19, 2018 $129 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 11, 2018 $125 XARELTO Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Oct 4, 2018 $125 OCALIVA Food and Beverage INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Dec 5, 2018 $125 ENTRESTO Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION

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/1638

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.