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/216357
  • 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/216357
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.

JOSEPH ASSENMACHER

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
2751 BAY PARK DR, STE 201, OREGON, OH, 43616-4921

2018 Payments: At a Glance

27

payments

$3,737

payment total

4

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Travel and Lodging
 3 $1,437
Food and Beverage
 23 $1,210
Education
 1 $1,090

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†
REGENETEN

device

 $1,859
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $1,090
COBLATION WANDS

device

 $547
BIORAPTOR

device

 $260
TWINFIX

device

 $260
FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR

device

 $245
FOOTPRINT

device

 $242
HEALICOIL

device

 $208
Q-FIX

device

 $208
MULTIFIX S

device

 $182
ULTRATAPE

device

 $161
BME NITINOL CONTINUOUS COMPRESSION IMPLANTS

device

 $100
BIORAPTOR KNOTLESS

device

 $90
REGENESORB

device

 $61
DYONICS BONECUTTER

device

 $61
MENISCAL ROOT REPAIR SYSTEM

device

 $52
DYONICS PLATINUM

device

 $46
MAGNUM

device

 $35
ACCUPASS DIRECT CRESCENT XL

device

 $34
FIRSTPASS

device

 $34
† 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/216357

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 21, 2018 $1,090 No Listed Product Education CDC MEDICAL LLC
Nov 10, 2018 $906 REGENETEN Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Nov 8, 2018 $406 REGENETEN Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $148 COBLATION WANDS REGENETEN Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Sep 6, 2018 $147 COBLATION WANDS FOOTPRINT HEALICOIL Q-FIX MULTIFIX S Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Nov 8, 2018 $146 COBLATION WANDS REGENETEN Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Nov 11, 2018 $125 REGENETEN Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Sep 20, 2018 $100 BME NITINOL CONTINUOUS COMPRESSION IMPLANTS Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES INC.
Apr 26, 2018 $95 BIORAPTOR FOOTPRINT TWINFIX ULTRATAPE Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 27, 2018 $90 FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR BIORAPTOR KNOTLESS BIORAPTOR TWINFIX Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Apr 20, 2018 $66 FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR BIORAPTOR TWINFIX ULTRATAPE Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $61 COBLATION WANDS HEALICOIL Q-FIX REGENESORB REGENETEN Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
May 4, 2018 $46 FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR COBLATION WANDS DYONICS PLATINUM Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $38 REGENETEN Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Dec 20, 2018 $35 FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR MAGNUM MULTIFIX S Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 8, 2018 $34 ACCUPASS DIRECT CRESCENT XL FIRSTPASS SMARTSTITCH SPEEDSTITCH SUTURE PASSER Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Aug 13, 2018 $33 DYONICS 25 FLUID MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DYONICS BONECUTTER SUPER TURBOVAC 90 Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Sep 14, 2018 $27 ACL REDUX DYONICS BONECUTTER Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Sep 25, 2018 $25 ZILRETTA Food and Beverage FLEXION THERAPEUTICS, INC.
Oct 12, 2018 $24 BIOSURE Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, 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/216357

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.