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/227284
  • 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/227284
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.


BRAD SUTTON

Listed Specialty: Cardiovascular Disease
401 E CHESTNUT ST UNIT 310, LOUISVILLE, KY, 40202-5703

2018 Payments: At a Glance

71

payments

$16,939

payment total

6

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Travel and Lodging
14 $4,914
Consulting
4 $4,900
Food and Beverage
52 $3,824
Promotional Speaking/Other
1 $3,300

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
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$8,868
GENERAL THERAPIES

device

$5,827
EP RECORDING SYSTEMS

device

$298
ANTHEM CRT PACEMAKER

device

$236
PACEART

device

$236
REVEAL LINQ

device

$168
ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER

device

$141
INGEVITY

device

$135
EMBLEM

device

$126
CRT-DS

device

$120
EMBLEM SICD ELECTRODE DELIVERY SYSTEM

device

$109
PACEMAKERS

device

$90
ADVISOR CATHETER

device

$79
FORTIFY ASSURA, ELLIPSE ICD

device

$73
ALLURE CRT PACEMAKER

device

$63
MICRA

device

$62
LABSYSTEM PRO

device

$62
ASSURITY PACEMAKER

device

$59
ENDOTAK

device

$46
RHYTHMIA

device

$31
† 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/227284

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Oct 23, 2018 $3,850 GENERAL THERAPIES Consulting BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Feb 6, 2018 $3,300 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Oct 8, 2018 $1,370 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Jun 23, 2018 $601 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Jan 26, 2018 $480 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 26, 2018 $462 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 28, 2018 $372 GENERAL THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Oct 18, 2018 $366 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Dec 9, 2018 $352 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Oct 23, 2018 $350 GENERAL THERAPIES Consulting BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Oct 11, 2018 $350 No Listed Product Consulting MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Oct 23, 2018 $350 GENERAL THERAPIES Consulting BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Aug 17, 2018 $332 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Sep 28, 2018 $304 GENERAL THERAPIES Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Oct 31, 2018 $290 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Sep 28, 2018 $214 GENERAL THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jul 11, 2018 $196 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Jan 27, 2018 $156 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Feb 12, 2018 $149 EP RECORDING SYSTEMS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 5, 2018 $149 EP RECORDING SYSTEMS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES

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/227284

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.