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/219512
  • 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/219512
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.

WILLIAM DECARBO

Listed Specialty: Podiatrist, Foot & Ankle Surgery
800 PLAZA DR, SUITE 240, BELLE VERNON, PA, 15012-4019

2018 Payments: At a Glance

47

payments

$30,495

payment total

5

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Promotional Speaking/Other
 4 $23,800
Travel and Lodging
 14 $2,310
Consulting
 3 $1,781
Food and Beverage
 25 $1,510
Education
 1 $1,094

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†
TAYLOR SPATIAL FRAME

device

 $17,961
ILIZAROV SYSTEM

device

 $9,048
VLP MINI-MOD

device

 $8,238
EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS

device

 $4,838
PERI-LOC ANKLE FUSION

device

 $4,838
HAT-TRICK

device

 $3,781
VLP-FOOT

device

 $3,524
TRIPLANAR FIXATION SYSTEM

device

 $1,781
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $1,094
TOPAZ

device

 $560
FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR

device

 $424
RAPTORMITE 3.0 OR 3.7MM SUTURE ANCHOR

device

 $424
TWINFIX 2.8 OR 3.5MM SUTURE ANCHOR

device

 $424
REGENETEN

device

 $225
CADENCE ANKLE REPLACEMENT SYSTEM

device

 $101
HALLU-LOCK

device

 $101
PANTA NAIL

device

 $101
SALTO TALARIS TOTAL ANKLE PROSTHESIS

device

 $101
TOTAL FOOT SYSTEM

device

 $101
TRINITY

drug

 $87
† 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/219512

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
May 31, 2018 $8,600 ILIZAROV SYSTEM TAYLOR SPATIAL FRAME Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Feb 6, 2018 $7,600 TAYLOR SPATIAL FRAME Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Feb 12, 2018 $4,500 EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS PERI-LOC ANKLE FUSION VLP MINI-MOD Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Feb 12, 2018 $3,100 HAT-TRICK VLP MINI-MOD VLP-FOOT Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 8, 2018 $1,094 No Listed Product Education MID-ATLANTIC SURGICAL SYSTEMS, LLC
Mar 30, 2018 $750 TRIPLANAR FIXATION SYSTEM Consulting TREACE MEDICAL CONCEPTS, INC.
Jun 10, 2018 $563 TRIPLANAR FIXATION SYSTEM Consulting TREACE MEDICAL CONCEPTS, INC.
Jan 19, 2018 $477 TAYLOR SPATIAL FRAME Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Nov 28, 2018 $469 TRIPLANAR FIXATION SYSTEM Consulting TREACE MEDICAL CONCEPTS, INC.
Apr 13, 2018 $361 ILIZAROV SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 18, 2018 $336 TAYLOR SPATIAL FRAME Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 25, 2018 $294 HAT-TRICK VLP MINI-MOD TOPAZ Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 19, 2018 $250 TAYLOR SPATIAL FRAME Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Nov 30, 2018 $184 REGENETEN Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Apr 13, 2018 $172 FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR RAPTORMITE 3.0 OR 3.7MM SUTURE ANCHOR TWINFIX 2.8 OR 3.5MM SUTURE ANCHOR VLP-FOOT Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 20, 2018 $141 TAYLOR SPATIAL FRAME Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 20, 2018 $114 TAYLOR SPATIAL FRAME Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 19, 2018 $114 TAYLOR SPATIAL FRAME Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 25, 2018 $105 EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS HAT-TRICK PERI-LOC ANKLE FUSION VLP MINI-MOD TOPAZ Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Apr 14, 2018 $103 FOOTPRINT ULTRA PK. SL, 4.5 AND 5.5MM KNOTLESS ANCHOR RAPTORMITE 3.0 OR 3.7MM SUTURE ANCHOR TWINFIX 2.8 OR 3.5MM SUTURE ANCHOR VLP-FOOT 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/219512

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.