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/255991
  • 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/255991
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.

JOSHUA ABRAMS

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
14520 W GRANITE VALLEY DR, STE 210, SUN CITY WEST, AZ, 85375-5855

2018 Payments: At a Glance

66

payments

$48,150

payment total

14

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 6 $41,176
Travel and Lodging
 13 $4,493
Food and Beverage
 47 $2,481

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†
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $41,907
VIPER

device

 $4,848
BRAINLAB

device

 $1,843
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

 $616
PROCLAIM FAMILY OF SCS IPGS

device

 $234
SYNFIX

device

 $142
SPECTRA WAVEWRITER

device

 $127
EXPEDIUM

device

 $125
VIVIGEN

device

 $112
COUGAR

device

 $75
MOUNTAINEER

device

 $70
SYNAPSE

device

 $70
ZERO-P

device

 $70
TRITANIUM

device

 $45
TRESTLE

device

 $43
VERTECEM

device

 $38
POSTERIOR FIXATION

device

 $34
O-ARM-SPINE

device

 $29
STRATAFIX

device

 $27
SURGIFLO HEMOSTATIC MATRIX FAMILY OF PRODUCTS

device

 $27
† 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/255991

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Mar 12, 2018 $8,554 No Listed Product Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Mar 28, 2018 $8,547 No Listed Product Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Sep 14, 2018 $7,425 No Listed Product Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jun 4, 2018 $7,204 No Listed Product Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jul 19, 2018 $6,747 No Listed Product Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Dec 6, 2018 $2,700 No Listed Product Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Mar 2, 2018 $905 VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jan 19, 2018 $732 VIPER BRAINLAB Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Aug 10, 2018 $562 VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jan 19, 2018 $472 VIPER BRAINLAB Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jan 19, 2018 $415 VIPER BRAINLAB Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Aug 10, 2018 $376 VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Aug 10, 2018 $338 VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jun 28, 2018 $164 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
May 15, 2018 $149 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Mar 2, 2018 $131 VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jun 19, 2018 $130 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Sep 14, 2018 $130 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Aug 23, 2018 $127 SPECTRA WAVEWRITER Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Mar 2, 2018 $125 VIPER EXPEDIUM Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES 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/255991

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.