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/173401
  • 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/173401
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.

FRANK SCHWAB

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
535 E 70TH ST, NEW YORK, NY, 10021-4823

2018 Payments: At a Glance

108

payments

$473,903

payment total

6

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 13 $400K
Consulting
 29 $64,475
Travel and Lodging
 29 $6,578
Food and Beverage
 37 $3,055

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†
CAPSTONE

device

 $206K
VITALITY

device

 $196K
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $22,582
PASS-LP

device

 $15,288
UNID

device

 $15,288
CD HORIZON

device

 $12,600
TIMBERLINE

device

 $11,728
POLARIS DEFORMITY SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $11,188
ZYSTON CURVED

device

 $11,188
SURGIMAP

device

 $6,750
GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

 $6,220
SHILLA

device

 $3,325
EXCELSIUS - GPS

device

 $1,421
O-ARM-ST

device

 $735
SPINE PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

device

 $692
ZYSTON INTERBODY

device

 $625
MOBI-C

device

 $272
BACS

device

 $230
LESSRAY

device

 $185
XLIF

device

 $132
† 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/173401

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 23, 2018 $52,848 CAPSTONE Royalty or License MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
May 23, 2018 $51,757 CAPSTONE Royalty or License MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Aug 30, 2018 $51,682 CAPSTONE Royalty or License MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Nov 20, 2018 $49,295 CAPSTONE Royalty or License MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Aug 15, 2018 $48,320 VITALITY Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 14, 2018 $45,010 VITALITY Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Feb 27, 2018 $39,002 VITALITY Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
May 17, 2018 $38,974 VITALITY Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Dec 14, 2018 $7,619 VITALITY Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 27, 2018 $6,300 CD HORIZON Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Dec 11, 2018 $6,300 CD HORIZON Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Mar 14, 2018 $6,000 No Listed Product Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
May 8, 2018 $5,100 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Consulting K2M, INC.
Aug 6, 2018 $4,293 PASS-LP UNID Royalty or License MEDICREA USA, CORP.
May 4, 2018 $4,282 PASS-LP UNID Royalty or License MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Oct 24, 2018 $4,250 SURGIMAP Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Feb 28, 2018 $3,424 PASS-LP UNID Royalty or License MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Oct 30, 2018 $3,289 PASS-LP UNID Royalty or License MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Aug 30, 2018 $3,000 No Listed Product Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Aug 30, 2018 $3,000 No Listed Product Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, 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/173401

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.