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/202125
  • 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/202125
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.

RICHARD VEST

Listed Specialty: Internal Medicine
100 PILOT MEDICAL DR, SUITE 300, BIRMINGHAM, AL, 35235-3411

2018 Payments: At a Glance

63

payments

$12,257

payment total

19

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Promotional Speaking/Other
 3 $9,200
Food and Beverage
 56 $1,327
Travel and Lodging
 1 $1,146
Consulting
 2 $500
Education
 1 $83

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†
ELIQUIS

drug

 $10,085
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $1,250
ZIO PATCH

device

 $245
CARTO 3 SYSTEM

device

 $152
CARTOSOUND

device

 $152
SOUNDSTAR

device

 $152
ENTRESTO

drug

 $149
PASO

device

 $122
PENTARAY

device

 $101
CONFIDENSE

device

 $68
XARELTO

drug

 $62
CHANTIX

drug

 $42
CORLANOR

drug

 $39
REPATHA

drug

 $39
LIFEVEST

device

 $35
ASSURITY PACEMAKER

device

 $30
SAMSCA

drug

 $30
FREESTYLE

device

 $29
PRALUENT

drug

 $26
LEXISCAN

drug

 $23
† 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/202125

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Mar 6, 2018 $3,500 ELIQUIS Promotional Speaking/Other E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Nov 7, 2018 $3,500 ELIQUIS Promotional Speaking/Other E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Mar 29, 2018 $2,200 ELIQUIS Promotional Speaking/Other PFIZER INC.
Sep 11, 2018 $1,146 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Nov 2, 2018 $250 ELIQUIS Consulting E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Mar 13, 2018 $250 ELIQUIS Consulting E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Feb 6, 2018 $231 ZIO PATCH Food and Beverage IRHYTHM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Mar 27, 2018 $94 ELIQUIS Food and Beverage PFIZER INC.
Feb 27, 2018 $87 ELIQUIS Food and Beverage E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Nov 16, 2018 $83 No Listed Product Education ASTELLAS PHARMA US INC
Oct 23, 2018 $76 ELIQUIS Food and Beverage E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Sep 7, 2018 $71 CARTO 3 SYSTEM PENTARAY CARTOSOUND SOUNDSTAR PASO Food and Beverage BIOSENSE WEBSTER, INC.
Sep 10, 2018 $51 CARTO 3 SYSTEM CARTOSOUND SOUNDSTAR CONFIDENSE PASO Food and Beverage BIOSENSE WEBSTER, INC.
Jul 26, 2018 $30 ASSURITY PACEMAKER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Aug 23, 2018 $29 FREESTYLE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jun 21, 2018 $22 EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX, MODELS Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Sep 10, 2018 $21 No Listed Product Food and Beverage MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jun 19, 2018 $21 UPTRAVI Food and Beverage ACTELION PHARMACEUTICALS US, INC.
Apr 23, 2018 $20 XARELTO Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Mar 6, 2018 $18 PRADAXA Food and Beverage BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM 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/202125

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.