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/253902
  • 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/253902
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.

FABIEN BITAN

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
215 EAST 77TH STREET, GROUND LEVEL, NEW YORK, NY, 10075-1851

2018 Payments: At a Glance

34

payments

$154,519

payment total

11

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 3 $149K
Travel and Lodging
 8 $3,726
Food and Beverage
 23 $1,847

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†
VAULT C

device

 $149K
ALIF

device

 $3,767
TLIF

device

 $3,767
BENDINI

device

 $3,726
PULSE

device

 $3,726
RELINE

device

 $776
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

 $310
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $228
PRODISC C

device

 $150
BIOMET SPINALPAK

device

 $140
TLX

device

 $138
XLIF

device

 $138
MOVANTIK

drug

 $125
SPINE PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

device

 $125
MOBI-C

device

 $102
PICO

device

 $66
TITAN ENDOSKELETON

device

 $63
TITAN NANOLOCK

device

 $63
POWER

device

 $42
ACIS

device

 $34
† 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/253902

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 13, 2018 $56,820 VAULT C Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
May 8, 2018 $46,395 VAULT C Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Aug 21, 2018 $45,732 VAULT C Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Dec 6, 2018 $1,631 PULSE ALIF TLIF BENDINI Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Dec 11, 2018 $1,631 ALIF PULSE BENDINI TLIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Feb 9, 2018 $150 PRODISC C Food and Beverage CENTINEL SPINE, LLC
Nov 17, 2018 $150 No Listed Product Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Feb 5, 2018 $145 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $142 RELINE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Dec 17, 2018 $138 XLIF TLX Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Mar 8, 2018 $125 MOVANTIK Food and Beverage DAIICHI SANKYO INC.
Jan 24, 2018 $125 SPINE PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Food and Beverage ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 14, 2018 $120 BENDINI RELINE ALIF PULSE TLIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Sep 18, 2018 $115 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Nov 18, 2018 $114 ALIF TLIF PULSE RELINE BENDINI Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $104 RELINE BENDINI TLIF ALIF PULSE Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $104 PULSE ALIF TLIF RELINE BENDINI Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Mar 1, 2018 $102 MOBI-C Food and Beverage ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Jul 25, 2018 $93 BIOMET SPINALPAK Food and Beverage ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 17, 2018 $89 RELINE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, 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/253902

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.