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/250388
  • 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/250388
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.


ERIC KLINEBERG

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
4860 Y ST, SUITE 3800, SACRAMENTO, CA, 95817-2307

2018 Payments: At a Glance

113

payments

$121,358

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
9 $90,985
Travel and Lodging
33 $15,184
Food and Beverage
65 $4,780
Royalty or License
2 $4,761
Accredited Training
2 $4,000
Honoraria
2 $1,648

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

$60,915
ES2

device

$34,545
AERO

device

$33,105
SERRATO

device

$31,906
ARIA

device

$30,434
EXPEDIUM

device

$25,556
SYNAPSE

device

$25,235
XIA

device

$15,974
OASYS

device

$14,253
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$9,136
PASS-LP

device

$6,556
UNID

device

$6,556
MULTIPLE PRODUCTS

device

$1,420
NONE

device

$750
RELINE

device

$409
OTHER - MIS

device

$215
MAXCESS-C

device

$148
MESA SPINAL SYSTEM

device

$143
MOUNTAINEER

device

$139
NSE - NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$136
† 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/250388

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Sep 13, 2018 $18,000 AERO ARIA TRITANIUM SERRATO ES2 Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 6, 2018 $14,420 EXPEDIUM SYNAPSE Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
May 2, 2018 $14,250 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 12, 2018 $11,500 AERO ARIA XIA OASYS ES2 Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 16, 2018 $10,815 EXPEDIUM SYNAPSE Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
May 23, 2018 $9,500 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 13, 2018 $9,025 TRITANIUM SERRATO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 31, 2018 $3,412 PASS-LP UNID Royalty or License MEDICREA USA, CORP.
May 9, 2018 $3,000 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 13, 2018 $2,000 No Listed Product Accredited Training SYNTHES GMBH
Jul 27, 2018 $2,000 No Listed Product Accredited Training SYNTHES GMBH
Aug 16, 2018 $1,772 OASYS SERRATO TRITANIUM Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 28, 2018 $1,757 AERO XIA TRITANIUM ES2 Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 27, 2018 $1,366 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging SYNTHES GMBH
Oct 30, 2018 $1,350 PASS-LP UNID Royalty or License MEDICREA USA, CORP.
Apr 12, 2018 $1,211 TRITANIUM ES2 Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 4, 2018 $872 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging SYNTHES GMBH
Oct 26, 2018 $872 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging SYNTHES GMBH
May 4, 2018 $824 No Listed Product Honoraria SYNTHES GMBH
Oct 26, 2018 $824 No Listed Product Honoraria SYNTHES GMBH

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/250388

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.