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/201663
  • 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/201663
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.

RAM SHARMA

Listed Specialty: Nuclear Cardiology
300 STONECREST BLVD, SUITE 210, SMYRNA, TN, 37167-5688

2018 Payments: At a Glance

66

payments

$2,311

payment total

18

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 64 $2,105
Travel and Lodging
 2 $207

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†
REPATHA

drug

 $582
IMPELLA

device

 $285
CORONARY ORBITAL ATHERECTOMY SYSTEM

device

 $261
XARELTO

drug

 $164
LIFEVEST

device

 $161
INVOKANA

drug

 $131
ELIQUIS

drug

 $108
OPTICROSS

device

 $107
BRILINTA

drug

 $92
CATHETER - GUIDELINER

device

 $78
OPSUMIT

drug

 $77
CORLANOR

drug

 $63
ENTRESTO

drug

 $60
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $54
MULTAQ

drug

 $40
PRALUENT

drug

 $31
NORTHERA

drug

 $29
MERLIN CONNECTIVITY AND REMOTE

device

 $25
INJECTAFER

drug

 $15
VASCEPA

drug

 $15
† 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/201663

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jun 12, 2018 $166 CORONARY ORBITAL ATHERECTOMY SYSTEM Travel and Lodging CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS INC.
Apr 12, 2018 $148 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Nov 1, 2018 $125 REPATHA Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Jun 26, 2018 $121 REPATHA Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Dec 18, 2018 $114 INVOKANA Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Nov 13, 2018 $110 XARELTO Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Dec 4, 2018 $107 REPATHA Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Mar 8, 2018 $104 REPATHA Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Oct 22, 2018 $97 ELIQUIS Food and Beverage E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Apr 19, 2018 $89 LIFEVEST Food and Beverage ZOLL SERVICES LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LIFECOR CORP)
Dec 11, 2018 $78 CATHETER - GUIDELINER Food and Beverage ARROW INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Sep 13, 2018 $77 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Oct 23, 2018 $61 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Aug 27, 2018 $54 OPTICROSS Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jun 12, 2018 $41 CORONARY ORBITAL ATHERECTOMY SYSTEM Travel and Lodging CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS INC.
Sep 19, 2018 $33 OPTICROSS Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Apr 30, 2018 $28 REPATHA Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
May 23, 2018 $28 No Listed Product Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Oct 31, 2018 $27 OPSUMIT Food and Beverage ACTELION PHARMACEUTICALS US, INC.
Jun 29, 2018 $26 CORONARY ORBITAL ATHERECTOMY SYSTEM Food and Beverage CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS 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/201663

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.