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/236029
  • 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/236029
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.

CALEB BEHREND

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
2331 FRANKLIN RD SW, ROANOKE, VA, 24014-1111

2018 Payments: At a Glance

118

payments

$8,432

payment total

9

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 109 $6,593
Travel and Lodging
 9 $1,840

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†
CLYDESDALE

device

 $1,500
TRITANIUM

device

 $988
ACIFT SOLOFUSE

device

 $957
EXPANDABLE CAGE

device

 $957
SLIFT

device

 $957
MULTIPLE PRODUCTS

device

 $612
ADAPTIVESTIM

device

 $605
CD HORIZON

device

 $594
XIA

device

 $407
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $371
RESTORE

device

 $326
ARTIC-L

device

 $237
ES2

device

 $219
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

 $199
O-ARM-SPINE

device

 $167
MAZORX - RENAISSANCE

device

 $158
PENTA SCS LEADS

device

 $141
TRESTLE

device

 $140
PIVOX OBLIQUE LATERAL SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $123
AVIATOR

device

 $118
† 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/236029

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jul 16, 2018 $403 ACIFT SOLOFUSE SLIFT EXPANDABLE CAGE Travel and Lodging SPINEFRONTIER, INC.
Jul 9, 2018 $331 ACIFT SOLOFUSE SLIFT EXPANDABLE CAGE Travel and Lodging SPINEFRONTIER, INC.
Feb 23, 2018 $315 XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 3, 2018 $240 ADAPTIVESTIM Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jul 12, 2018 $200 CLYDESDALE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Dec 1, 2018 $198 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Dec 5, 2018 $166 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Food and Beverage ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Jun 14, 2018 $158 MAZORX - RENAISSANCE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Mar 17, 2018 $156 CD HORIZON Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $150 CD HORIZON Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Nov 30, 2018 $150 CLYDESDALE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Feb 23, 2018 $150 TRITANIUM Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 25, 2018 $150 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Feb 24, 2018 $146 TRITANIUM Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 28, 2018 $141 PENTA SCS LEADS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 2, 2018 $141 ADAPTIVESTIM Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Nov 8, 2018 $140 TRESTLE Food and Beverage ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Feb 19, 2018 $137 RESTORE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Apr 25, 2018 $135 CD HORIZON Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
May 13, 2018 $131 CLYDESDALE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, 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/236029

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.