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/179372
  • 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/179372
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.


MELVIN ROSENWASSER

Listed Specialty: Hand Surgery
161 FORT WASHINGTON AVE, 2ND FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY, 10032-3729

2018 Payments: At a Glance

46

payments

$104,090

payment total

6

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
22 $82,400
Promotional Speaking/Other
3 $17,125
Royalty or License
1 $2,412
Travel and Lodging
5 $1,347
Food and Beverage
15 $806

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
VARIAX

device

$48,751
ACU-LOC WRIST PLATING SYSTEM

device

$19,071
HAND FRACTURE SYSTEM

device

$19,071
ANATOMIC RADIAL HEAD SYSTEM

device

$17,295
ELBOW PLATING SYSTEM

device

$17,295
CLAVICLE PLATING SYSTEM

device

$17,196
AXSOS

device

$17,000
T2

device

$17,000
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$15,217
ACCOLADE

device

$14,131
HOFFMANN

device

$6,750
BIOMET ORTHOPAK

device

$3,750
CHECKPOINT STIMULATORS

device

$2,812
ACUTRAK HEADLESS COMPRESSION SCREW SYSTEM

device

$1,991
MIDSHAFT FOREARM PLATING SYSTEM

device

$1,875
OSTEOTOMY SYSTEM

device

$1,875
BONE HEALING PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

device

$95
GAMMA

device

$63
ARC WRIST TOWER

device

$50
AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR

device

$18
† 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/179372

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 11, 2018 $17,000 AXSOS VARIAX T2 Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 7, 2018 $14,000 ACCOLADE Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 20, 2018 $12,500 VARIAX Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 24, 2018 $8,125 ACU-LOC WRIST PLATING SYSTEM HAND FRACTURE SYSTEM ELBOW PLATING SYSTEM ANATOMIC RADIAL HEAD SYSTEM CLAVICLE PLATING SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other ACUMED LLC
Dec 18, 2018 $7,000 ACU-LOC WRIST PLATING SYSTEM HAND FRACTURE SYSTEM ELBOW PLATING SYSTEM ANATOMIC RADIAL HEAD SYSTEM CLAVICLE PLATING SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other ACUMED LLC
Feb 22, 2018 $6,750 VARIAX HOFFMANN Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 13, 2018 $5,625 No Listed Product Consulting ACUMED LLC
May 3, 2018 $4,000 VARIAX Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
May 17, 2018 $3,500 VARIAX Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 29, 2018 $3,375 VARIAX Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 7, 2018 $3,000 No Listed Product Consulting ACUMED LLC
Mar 16, 2018 $2,500 No Listed Product Consulting ACUMED LLC
Jan 12, 2018 $2,412 CHECKPOINT STIMULATORS Royalty or License CHECKPOINT SURGICAL, INC
Nov 8, 2018 $2,000 BIOMET ORTHOPAK Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Dec 18, 2018 $2,000 ACU-LOC WRIST PLATING SYSTEM HAND FRACTURE SYSTEM ELBOW PLATING SYSTEM ANATOMIC RADIAL HEAD SYSTEM CLAVICLE PLATING SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other ACUMED LLC
Apr 6, 2018 $1,584 ACU-LOC WRIST PLATING SYSTEM HAND FRACTURE SYSTEM OSTEOTOMY SYSTEM MIDSHAFT FOREARM PLATING SYSTEM ACUTRAK HEADLESS COMPRESSION SCREW SYSTEM Consulting ACUMED LLC
Nov 8, 2018 $1,500 BIOMET ORTHOPAK Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Jun 18, 2018 $1,250 No Listed Product Consulting ACUMED LLC
Jul 27, 2018 $1,000 No Listed Product Consulting ACUMED LLC
Mar 16, 2018 $625 No Listed Product Consulting ACUMED 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/179372

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.