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/180504
  • 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/180504
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.

LEONARD KUCHEMBA

Listed Specialty: Internal Medicine
480 SCOTT ST, WILKES BARRE, PA, 18702-5511

2018 Payments: At a Glance

347

payments

$5,952

payment total

23

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 346 $5,852
Education
 1 $100

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†
XARELTO

drug

 $642
OZEMPIC

drug

 $479
INVOKANA

drug

 $418
PROLIA

drug

 $410
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $395
JARDIANCE

drug

 $389
FARXIGA

drug

 $369
BYDUREON

drug

 $369
SYMBICORT

drug

 $320
TRELEGY ELLIPTA

drug

 $303
REPATHA

drug

 $281
TRESIBA

drug

 $224
BASAGLAR

drug

 $222
TRULICITY

drug

 $222
BEVESPI AEROSPHERE

drug

 $222
BRILINTA

drug

 $200
ENTRESTO

drug

 $198
JANUVIA

drug

 $186
TOUJEO

drug

 $161
NUEDEXTA

drug

 $142
† 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/180504

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 2, 2018 $188 BRILINTA FARXIGA BEVESPI AEROSPHERE BYDUREON SYMBICORT Food and Beverage ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS LP
May 10, 2018 $125 TRESIBA Food and Beverage NOVO NORDISK INC
Mar 1, 2018 $125 BYDUREON Food and Beverage ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS LP
Jul 31, 2018 $125 JARDIANCE Food and Beverage BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Feb 22, 2018 $122 PROLIA Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Sep 26, 2018 $122 OZEMPIC Food and Beverage NOVO NORDISK INC
Apr 3, 2018 $122 OZEMPIC Food and Beverage NOVO NORDISK INC
Jul 17, 2018 $120 PROLIA Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Apr 5, 2018 $116 JARDIANCE Food and Beverage BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Apr 21, 2018 $116 TRELEGY ELLIPTA Food and Beverage GLAXOSMITHKLINE, LLC.
Oct 25, 2018 $114 XARELTO Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Mar 29, 2018 $113 FARXIGA Food and Beverage ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS LP
Oct 16, 2018 $110 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Sep 21, 2018 $100 No Listed Product Education ASTELLAS PHARMA US INC
Dec 13, 2018 $99 INVOKANA Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Jul 24, 2018 $96 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Oct 11, 2018 $95 OZEMPIC Food and Beverage NOVO NORDISK INC
Jan 25, 2018 $94 XARELTO Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Dec 8, 2018 $86 TRELEGY ELLIPTA Food and Beverage GLAXOSMITHKLINE, LLC.
Sep 11, 2018 $85 XARELTO Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, 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/180504

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.