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/187350
  • 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/187350
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.

J MORALES

Listed Specialty: Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery)
1224 3RD ST, SUITE 1, CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, 78404-2354

2018 Payments: At a Glance

26

payments

$6,147

payment total

9

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 3 $5,093
Food and Beverage
 23 $1,054

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†
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $5,093
ECM

device

 $228
VASOVIEW

device

 $120
ACROBAT

device

 $105
ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM

device

 $104
ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM

device

 $104
EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYS

device

 $104
HEARTSTRING

device

 $96
INSPIRIS RESILIA AORTIC VALVE

device

 $94
FLOSEAL

drug

 $87
AORTIC TISSUE VALVE - PERCEVAL

device

 $82
ON-Q PUMP AND ACCESSORIES

device

 $34
TAILOR FLEXIBLE RING AND BAND

device

 $32
PERI-STRIPS DRY

drug

 $31
PERCEVAL S

device

 $29
ANNULOFLEX

device

 $14
† 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
Oct 3, 2018 $2,783 No Listed Product Consulting JACE MEDICAL LLC
Jul 2, 2018 $2,193 No Listed Product Consulting JACE MEDICAL LLC
Jul 31, 2018 $150 ECM Food and Beverage AZIYO BIOLOGICS, INC.
Apr 27, 2018 $117 No Listed Product Consulting JACE MEDICAL LLC
Dec 20, 2018 $105 VASOVIEW Food and Beverage MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
Sep 24, 2018 $104 ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYS Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Dec 11, 2018 $94 INSPIRIS RESILIA AORTIC VALVE Food and Beverage EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Dec 21, 2018 $87 FLOSEAL Food and Beverage BAXTER HEALTHCARE
Apr 3, 2018 $84 HEARTSTRING Food and Beverage MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
Oct 29, 2018 $65 AORTIC TISSUE VALVE - PERCEVAL Food and Beverage LIVANOVA USA, INC.
Mar 6, 2018 $43 ACROBAT Food and Beverage MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
Jun 5, 2018 $42 ECM Food and Beverage AZIYO BIOLOGICS, INC.
Dec 10, 2018 $34 ON-Q PUMP AND ACCESSORIES Food and Beverage AVANOS MEDICAL
Dec 6, 2018 $32 TAILOR FLEXIBLE RING AND BAND Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 15, 2018 $31 PERI-STRIPS DRY Food and Beverage BAXTER HEALTHCARE
Jun 19, 2018 $31 ACROBAT Food and Beverage MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
Jun 1, 2018 $28 ACROBAT Food and Beverage MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
Aug 29, 2018 $23 ECM Food and Beverage AZIYO BIOLOGICS, INC.
Mar 24, 2018 $17 AORTIC TISSUE VALVE - PERCEVAL Food and Beverage LIVANOVA USA, INC.
Nov 5, 2018 $15 PERCEVAL S Food and Beverage LIVANOVA USA, 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/187350

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.