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/165758
  • 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/165758
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.

PAUL KIM

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
6719 ALVARADO ROAD, SUITE 308, SAN DIEGO, CA, 92120

2018 Payments: At a Glance

72

payments

$41,891

payment total

14

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Nonaccredited Training
 6 $15,200
Consulting
 17 $12,968
Food and Beverage
 37 $5,351
Promotional Speaking/Other
 1 $4,838
Travel and Lodging
 10 $3,369
Entertainment
 1 $166

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†
TLIF

device

 $15,434
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $6,667
XLIF

device

 $6,172
TLX

device

 $5,700
RISE

device

 $4,944
LUCENT XP

device

 $4,000
ALLOGRAFT

device

 $1,631
TETRAFUSE

device

 $1,408
MERCURY MIS

device

 $1,000
VERTU

device

 $1,000
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

 $744
LUCENT

device

 $500
BULLSHARK

device

 $384
TALON MIS

device

 $384
FLOSEAL

drug

 $125
VIPER

device

 $36
COSINE

device

 $34
HEARTWARE HVAD

device

 $34
INTELLIS

device

 $26
IVS - VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION PRODUCTS

device

 $17
† 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/165758

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Apr 19, 2018 $5,400 TLIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC.
Nov 17, 2018 $4,838 RISE Promotional Speaking/Other GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Oct 2, 2018 $3,200 XLIF Consulting NUVASIVE, INC. Paul D. Kim EMP International
Jun 26, 2018 $3,200 TLIF TLX Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC.
May 3, 2018 $2,800 XLIF TLIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC.
Jan 23, 2018 $1,800 TLIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC.
May 31, 2018 $1,700 No Listed Product Food and Beverage PROSIDYAN, INC
Nov 20, 2018 $1,631 ALLOGRAFT Travel and Lodging RTI SURGICAL, INC.
Jul 5, 2018 $1,000 LUCENT XP Consulting SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Jun 6, 2018 $1,000 LUCENT XP Consulting SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Aug 21, 2018 $1,000 LUCENT XP Consulting SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Nov 6, 2018 $1,000 TLX TLIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC. Paul D. Kim EMP International
Nov 6, 2018 $1,000 TLX TLIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC. Paul D. Kim EMP International
Oct 2, 2018 $875 No Listed Product Consulting SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Mar 2, 2018 $811 No Listed Product Food and Beverage SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Dec 8, 2018 $700 TETRAFUSE Travel and Lodging RTI SURGICAL, INC.
Sep 24, 2018 $625 No Listed Product Consulting SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Mar 2, 2018 $500 VERTU Consulting SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Jun 1, 2018 $500 LUCENT Consulting SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Jun 6, 2018 $500 LUCENT XP Consulting SPINAL ELEMENTS, 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/165758

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.