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/168878
  • 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/168878
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.

TODD ALAMIN

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
900 BLAKE WILBUR DR, FIRST FLOOR MC 5311, PALO ALTO, CA, 94304-2201

2018 Payments: At a Glance

31

payments

$21,156

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 1 $9,298
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $7,714
Travel and Lodging
 10 $2,677
Food and Beverage
 18 $1,468

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†
MAZORX - RENAISSANCE

device

 $10,226
ELSA

device

 $8,576
COUGAR

device

 $958
GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

 $512
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $300
PIPELINE

device

 $238
SPOTLIGHT

device

 $238
NSE - CUTTING ACCESSORIES

device

 $150
PASS-LP

device

 $138
UNID

device

 $138
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

 $131
FLOSEAL

drug

 $62
ACF

device

 $44
XLIF

device

 $28
ALTERA

device

 $17
DIVERGENCE-L

device

 $14
† 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.

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Nov 27, 2018 $9,298 MAZORX - RENAISSANCE Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Sep 8, 2018 $4,314 ELSA Promotional Speaking/Other GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Sep 8, 2018 $3,400 ELSA Promotional Speaking/Other GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Aug 16, 2018 $572 MAZORX - RENAISSANCE Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Sep 7, 2018 $398 ELSA Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 6, 2018 $338 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Travel and Lodging K2M, INC.
Dec 14, 2018 $238 COUGAR PIPELINE SPOTLIGHT Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Nov 30, 2018 $218 No Listed Product Food and Beverage SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
Dec 10, 2018 $215 COUGAR Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Nov 27, 2018 $200 COUGAR Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Sep 8, 2018 $196 ELSA Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Sep 8, 2018 $192 ELSA Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 13, 2018 $174 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 27, 2018 $170 COUGAR Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Aug 16, 2018 $157 MAZORX - RENAISSANCE Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Sep 27, 2018 $150 NSE - CUTTING ACCESSORIES Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Oct 3, 2018 $138 PASS-LP UNID Food and Beverage MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Sep 26, 2018 $131 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Dec 14, 2018 $103 COUGAR Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $82 No Listed Product Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, 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/168878

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.