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/177460
  • 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/177460
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.


DANIEL REFAI

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
59 EXECUTIVE PARK S, SUITE 3000, ATLANTA, GA, 30329-2208

2018 Payments: At a Glance

130

payments

$146,906

payment total

7

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
21 $107K
Royalty or License
2 $19,161
Travel and Lodging
43 $10,516
Promotional Speaking/Other
2 $6,938
Food and Beverage
62 $3,505

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
XIA

device

$52,343
TRITANIUM

device

$26,220
ACCULIF

device

$25,854
ARIA

device

$25,206
SERRATO

device

$20,008
AERO

device

$18,805
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$17,087
ES2

device

$13,848
EXPEDIUM

device

$13,304
SYNAPSE

device

$12,360
OASYS

device

$11,913
3D PRINTED PLIF/TLIF

device

$7,151
HEDRON-PT-3D PRINTED PLIF/TLIF

device

$6,826
MAGNIFY-S

device

$6,057
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$4,706
VIPER

device

$859
BACS

device

$400
SURPASS

device

$353
CASCADIA INTERBODY SYSTEM

device

$152
NSE - HIGH SPEED DRILLS

device

$149
† 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/177460

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Mar 15, 2018 $13,000 ACCULIF Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION REFAI TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Jul 27, 2018 $12,360 SYNAPSE EXPEDIUM Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC. REFAI TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Feb 15, 2018 $12,000 AERO XIA ES2 ARIA Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION REFAI TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Nov 15, 2018 $11,500 ARIA OASYS XIA TRITANIUM SERRATO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION REFAI TECHNOLOGIES LLC
May 30, 2018 $10,000 ACCULIF Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION REFAI TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Aug 30, 2018 $9,637 XIA Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION EMORY UNIVERSITY
Nov 29, 2018 $9,524 XIA Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION EMORY UNIVERSITY
Jul 12, 2018 $6,000 SERRATO XIA TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION REFAI TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Apr 12, 2018 $6,000 No Listed Product Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC. Refai Technologies Llc
Mar 20, 2018 $6,000 No Listed Product Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC. Refai Technologies Llc
Nov 10, 2018 $5,938 MAGNIFY-S Promotional Speaking/Other GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jul 26, 2018 $5,000 AERO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION REFAI TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Nov 9, 2018 $4,750 HEDRON-PT-3D PRINTED PLIF/TLIF Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Sep 14, 2018 $4,750 3D PRINTED PLIF/TLIF Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jun 28, 2018 $4,000 NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION REFAI TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Apr 5, 2018 $3,250 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION REFAI TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Nov 1, 2018 $1,928 TRITANIUM SERRATO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 14, 2018 $1,900 3D PRINTED PLIF/TLIF Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $1,425 HEDRON-PT-3D PRINTED PLIF/TLIF Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 20, 2018 $1,250 XIA TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION REFAI TECHNOLOGIES LLC

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/177460

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.