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/232087
  • 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/232087
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.

GEOFFREY MARECEK

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
1520 SAN PABLO ST, SUITE 2000, LOS ANGELES, CA, 90033-5310

2018 Payments: At a Glance

90

payments

$84,387

payment total

6

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 23 $56,488
Travel and Lodging
 26 $23,483
Accredited Training
 1 $2,500
Food and Beverage
 40 $1,916

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†
TRAUMA

device

 $47,182
CANNULATED SCREW

device

 $10,438
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $5,380
AFFIXUS

device

 $4,873
N-FORCE

device

 $4,381
TFN ADVANCED

device

 $3,247
EXTERNAL FIXATION

device

 $3,164
IM NAILS

device

 $3,164
NCB INSTRUMENTS/PLATES/SCREWS

device

 $2,118
EQUIVABONE

device

 $2,017
ZNN

device

 $2,000
BIOCUE

device

 $2,000
CALCIGEN

device

 $2,000
ALPS ELBOW

device

 $1,500
DVR ANATOMIC PLATES/SCREWS/PEGS

device

 $481
TRAUMA PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

device

 $259
VARIAX

device

 $150
ALPS PROX TIB PLATES

device

 $101
T2

device

 $80
VA-LCP PLATES & SCREWS

device

 $70
† 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/232087

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 29, 2018 $6,400 TRAUMA Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Apr 4, 2018 $6,400 TRAUMA Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Aug 17, 2018 $6,400 TRAUMA Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $6,400 TRAUMA Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Aug 17, 2018 $4,551 TRAUMA Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jun 16, 2018 $4,295 N-FORCE Travel and Lodging ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Oct 10, 2018 $3,151 EXTERNAL FIXATION IM NAILS TFN ADVANCED Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jan 29, 2018 $3,100 TRAUMA Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Sep 13, 2018 $2,500 No Listed Product Accredited Training SYNTHES GMBH
Jan 29, 2018 $2,473 TRAUMA Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Apr 4, 2018 $2,435 TRAUMA Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Aug 17, 2018 $2,400 TRAUMA Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jan 16, 2018 $2,000 CANNULATED SCREW Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Jan 16, 2018 $2,000 ZNN Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Jun 14, 2018 $2,000 CALCIGEN BIOCUE EQUIVABONE Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Feb 27, 2018 $2,000 NCB INSTRUMENTS/PLATES/SCREWS Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 6, 2018 $2,000 CANNULATED SCREW Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 15, 2018 $1,937 TRAUMA Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Apr 4, 2018 $1,900 TRAUMA Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $1,900 TRAUMA Consulting GLOBUS MEDICAL, 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/232087

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.