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/246934
  • 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/246934
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.

GUY FOGEL

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
8042 WURZBACH RD, SUITE 350, SAN ANTONIO, TX, 78229-3818

2018 Payments: At a Glance

77

payments

$6,876

payment total

10

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Travel and Lodging
 15 $4,748
Food and Beverage
 62 $2,128

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†
ALIF

device

 $1,920
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $1,672
MULTIPLE PRODUCTS

device

 $1,510
XLIF

device

 $1,399
LLIF

device

 $502
COHERE

device

 $225
OSTEOCEL

device

 $150
PROPEL

device

 $139
LESSRAY

device

 $133
MODULUS

device

 $133
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

 $131
QUARTEX

device

 $119
MAZORX - RENAISSANCE

device

 $86
POROUS TI

device

 $65
INTERFUSE

device

 $63
KIVA VCF TREATMENT SYSTEM

device

 $60
BLAZER VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION KIT

device

 $60
BENDINI

device

 $49
ANCHORKNOT

device

 $42
COALESCE

device

 $37
† 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/246934

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Apr 19, 2018 $1,206 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Mar 27, 2018 $1,104 XLIF ALIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Apr 9, 2018 $1,008 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MAZOR ROBOTICS INC.
Apr 6, 2018 $571 ALIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
May 17, 2018 $344 LLIF Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
May 16, 2018 $240 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Food and Beverage ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Mar 7, 2018 $186 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MAZOR ROBOTICS INC.
Sep 10, 2018 $139 COHERE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Mar 2, 2018 $133 PROPEL OSTEOCEL LESSRAY MODULUS Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Apr 20, 2018 $125 ALIF Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Jan 31, 2018 $119 QUARTEX Food and Beverage GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Feb 14, 2018 $115 XLIF Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
May 18, 2018 $109 No Listed Product Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
May 20, 2018 $104 LLIF Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Dec 1, 2018 $99 No Listed Product Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Nov 7, 2018 $90 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Feb 8, 2018 $76 No Listed Product Food and Beverage MAZOR ROBOTICS INC.
Apr 12, 2018 $65 POROUS TI Food and Beverage ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Mar 29, 2018 $60 KIVA VCF TREATMENT SYSTEM BLAZER VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION KIT Food and Beverage BENVENUE MEDICAL INC
May 16, 2018 $53 LLIF Food and Beverage ALPHATEC SPINE, 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/246934

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.