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/246261
  • 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/246261
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.


WARREN YU

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
2150 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW, 7TH FLOOR, WASHINGTON, DC, 20037-3201

2018 Payments: At a Glance

142

payments

$258,011

payment total

23

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
14 $195K
Consulting
13 $41,150
Travel and Lodging
14 $12,602
Food and Beverage
100 $9,601
Gift
1 $60

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
JULIET OL

device

$83,675
ROMEO 2 PAD

device

$83,675
ROMEO 2

device

$83,675
MARINER

device

$52,061
INDEPENDENCE MIS

device

$44,754
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$36,100
FLAREHAWK

device

$33,281
SKIPJACK

device

$2,519
LANCER

device

$1,125
PROCLAIM FAMILY OF SCS IPGS

device

$1,106
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

$492
SENZA SPINAL CORD STIMULATION SYSTEM

device

$443
OSTEOBALLAST

device

$272
AXIUM INS DRG IPG

device

$244
OCTRODE SCS LEADS

device

$176
SPINAL CORD STIMULATION ACCESSORIES

device

$170
SCS LEADS

device

$168
BIOMET SPINALPAK

device

$153
PREVENA

device

$153
INTELLIS

device

$148
† 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/246261

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Aug 28, 2018 $43,536 ROMEO 2 PAD ROMEO 2 JULIET OL Royalty or License SPINEART SA
Feb 28, 2018 $40,139 ROMEO 2 PAD ROMEO 2 JULIET OL Royalty or License SPINEART SA
Dec 31, 2018 $12,929 INDEPENDENCE MIS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Oct 29, 2018 $12,719 MARINER Royalty or License SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
Sep 30, 2018 $11,692 INDEPENDENCE MIS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jun 11, 2018 $11,058 FLAREHAWK Royalty or License INTEGRITY IMPLANTS INC
Jun 11, 2018 $10,269 FLAREHAWK Royalty or License INTEGRITY IMPLANTS INC
Jul 18, 2018 $10,256 MARINER Royalty or License SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
Mar 31, 2018 $10,164 INDEPENDENCE MIS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jun 30, 2018 $9,969 INDEPENDENCE MIS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
May 2, 2018 $9,323 MARINER Royalty or License SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
Jan 23, 2018 $7,345 MARINER Royalty or License SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
Sep 12, 2018 $7,000 No Listed Product Consulting XENCO MEDICAL LLC
Mar 2, 2018 $6,000 No Listed Product Consulting XENCO MEDICAL LLC
Oct 5, 2018 $5,500 FLAREHAWK Consulting INTEGRITY IMPLANTS INC
Oct 3, 2018 $5,250 MARINER Consulting SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
Jun 11, 2018 $4,073 FLAREHAWK Royalty or License INTEGRITY IMPLANTS INC
Nov 9, 2018 $4,000 No Listed Product Consulting SPINEART USA INC
Sep 20, 2018 $3,400 No Listed Product Consulting SPINEART USA INC
Nov 13, 2018 $3,043 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging SPINEART 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/246261

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.