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/228667
  • 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/228667
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.


PAUL JEFFORDS

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
5671 PEACHTREE DUNWOODY RD NE, SUITE 900, ATLANTA, GA, 30342-5000

2018 Payments: At a Glance

68

payments

$72,835

payment total

3

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
6 $59,500
Travel and Lodging
33 $9,764
Royalty or License
4 $2,085
Food and Beverage
25 $1,485

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
TRITANIUM

device

$46,277
ARIA

device

$38,195
XIA

device

$32,354
ES2

device

$32,063
SERRATO

device

$17,255
AERO

device

$14,666
CONTINENTAL

device

$2,085
MAKO

device

$1,722
ALIF PLATE

device

$1,275
VITOSS

device

$736
BIO4

device

$714
BLACKBIRD

device

$204
BLACKHAWK

device

$204
TIGER SHARK

device

$204
TOMCAT

device

$204
VEO

device

$204
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$11
NAV - NAV3 NAVIGATION PLATFORM

device

$7
† 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.

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jul 26, 2018 $15,000 ARIA XIA TRITANIUM ES2 Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 21, 2018 $13,500 AERO ES2 XIA TRITANIUM SERRATO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 12, 2018 $11,000 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 20, 2018 $8,500 ARIA Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 5, 2018 $7,500 ARIA Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
May 10, 2018 $4,000 ARIA Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 2, 2018 $1,352 TRITANIUM MAKO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 30, 2018 $1,166 AERO ES2 XIA TRITANIUM SERRATO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 8, 2018 $1,162 ALIF PLATE Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 19, 2018 $1,075 ARIA XIA TRITANIUM ES2 Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 6, 2018 $718 SERRATO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 17, 2018 $714 TRITANIUM VITOSS BIO4 ARIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 30, 2018 $581 CONTINENTAL Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Dec 31, 2018 $531 CONTINENTAL Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Mar 31, 2018 $510 CONTINENTAL Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jul 20, 2018 $497 SERRATO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 30, 2018 $463 CONTINENTAL Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 8, 2018 $414 ARIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 5, 2018 $395 SERRATO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 16, 2018 $370 TRITANIUM MAKO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION

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/228667

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.