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/18347
  • 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/18347
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.

SCOTT LEARY

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
6645 ALVARADO RD, SUITE 4000, SAN DIEGO, CA, 92120-5208

2018 Payments: At a Glance

29

payments

$25,268

payment total

13

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 6 $22,616
Food and Beverage
 23 $2,652

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†
QUINTEX

device

 $19,503
MUST

device

 $3,146
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $579
PRODISC VIVO

device

 $379
SIFIX

device

 $289
STALIF C

device

 $200
ALL SPINE STIMULATION

drug

 $183
NUCEL

device

 $170
STALIF C-TI

device

 $147
COFLEX

device

 $122
FORTILINK

device

 $113
CERVICAL STIM

drug

 $91
POSTERIOR FUSION

device

 $88
SPINAL IMPLANTS

device

 $67
MIDLINE II

device

 $48
STALIF L

device

 $47
ALLOFUSE

device

 $37
MIDLINE II-TI

device

 $35
PRODISC C

device

 $26
† 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
Aug 10, 2018 $9,830 QUINTEX Royalty or License AESCULAP IMPLANT SYSTEMS, LLC
Feb 2, 2018 $9,673 QUINTEX Royalty or License AESCULAP IMPLANT SYSTEMS, LLC
May 9, 2018 $1,391 MUST Royalty or License MEDACTA USA, INC.
Feb 20, 2018 $734 MUST Royalty or License MEDACTA USA, INC.
Aug 13, 2018 $570 MUST Royalty or License MEDACTA USA, INC.
Nov 29, 2018 $419 MUST Royalty or License MEDACTA USA, INC.
Sep 29, 2018 $379 PRODISC VIVO Food and Beverage CENTINEL SPINE, LLC
Apr 30, 2018 $289 SIFIX Food and Beverage NUTECH SPINE, INC.
Sep 27, 2018 $232 No Listed Product Food and Beverage RENOVIS SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Apr 30, 2018 $200 STALIF C Food and Beverage CENTINEL SPINE, LLC
Jan 29, 2018 $170 NUCEL Food and Beverage ORGANOGENESIS INC.
May 23, 2018 $155 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ULRICH MEDICAL USA, INC.
Feb 1, 2018 $147 STALIF C-TI Food and Beverage CENTINEL SPINE, LLC
May 2, 2018 $122 COFLEX Food and Beverage PARADIGM SPINE, LLC
Aug 6, 2018 $120 ALL SPINE STIMULATION Food and Beverage ORTHOFIX MEDICAL, INC.
Mar 19, 2018 $120 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ULRICH MEDICAL USA, INC.
Jan 31, 2018 $113 FORTILINK Food and Beverage RTI SURGICAL, INC.
Apr 5, 2018 $91 CERVICAL STIM Food and Beverage ORTHOFIX MEDICAL, INC.
Apr 29, 2018 $88 POSTERIOR FUSION Food and Beverage SPINE WAVE, INC.
Apr 26, 2018 $67 SPINAL IMPLANTS Food and Beverage SPINE WAVE, 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/18347

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.