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/188159
  • 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/188159
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.

JAMES COLE

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
1550 E COUNTY LINE RD, SUITE 200, INDIANAPOLIS, IN, 46227-1000

2018 Payments: At a Glance

65

payments

$13,572

payment total

10

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 1 $7,000
Travel and Lodging
 9 $4,411
Food and Beverage
 55 $2,160

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†
TRITANIUM

device

 $7,781
CD HORIZON

device

 $2,023
EXCELSIUS - GPS

device

 $1,345
CABO

device

 $680
CAMBRIA

device

 $680
SHORELINE

device

 $680
MAKO

device

 $517
MAZORX - RENAISSANCE

device

 $376
DIVERGENCE-L

device

 $341
PIVOX OBLIQUE LATERAL SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $254
FIRSTPASS MINI

device

 $156
BOTOX

drug

 $108
PERSONA

device

 $99
SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM

device

 $99
BIO4

device

 $75
RELINE

device

 $63
XIA

device

 $55
PICO

device

 $30
AVIATOR

device

 $20
SPINE

device

 $19
† 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/188159

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Apr 5, 2018 $7,000 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 7, 2018 $1,079 EXCELSIUS - GPS Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Dec 26, 2018 $680 CABO SHORELINE CAMBRIA Travel and Lodging SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
Sep 13, 2018 $638 CD HORIZON Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Mar 9, 2018 $517 TRITANIUM MAKO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 13, 2018 $467 CD HORIZON Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jul 29, 2018 $341 DIVERGENCE-L Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Nov 14, 2018 $313 MAZORX - RENAISSANCE Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Sep 13, 2018 $236 CD HORIZON Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Sep 13, 2018 $192 CD HORIZON Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jun 10, 2018 $185 EXCELSIUS - GPS Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Dec 4, 2018 $156 FIRSTPASS MINI Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Mar 26, 2018 $150 TRITANIUM Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 20, 2018 $141 PIVOX OBLIQUE LATERAL SPINAL SYSTEM Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Sep 14, 2018 $119 CD HORIZON Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Feb 1, 2018 $108 BOTOX Food and Beverage ALLERGAN INC.
Sep 13, 2018 $102 CD HORIZON Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Dec 11, 2018 $99 PERSONA Food and Beverage ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 19, 2018 $99 SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM Food and Beverage 4WEB, INC.
Oct 14, 2018 $75 BIO4 Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION

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/188159

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.