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/257862
  • 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/257862
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 BERENS

Listed Specialty: Vascular Surgery
6565 E CARONDELET DR, # 235, TUCSON, AZ, 85710-3533

2018 Payments: At a Glance

34

payments

$1,848

payment total

16

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Travel and Lodging
 4 $981
Food and Beverage
 29 $815
Entertainment
 1 $51

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†
FOX SV PTA CATHETER AND ARMADA 14 PERCUTANEOUS CATHETER AND VIATRAC 14 PLUS PERIPHERAL CATHETER

device

 $996
HERCULINK ELITE RENAL AND BILIARY STENT SYSTEM

device

 $996
HI-TORQUE SPARTACORE GUIDE WIRES

device

 $996
OMNILINK ELITE VASCULAR STENT SYSTEM

device

 $996
SUPERA PERIPHERAL STENT SYSTEM

device

 $996
OVATION

device

 $328
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $125
EPIQ 7G

device

 $102
GELFOAM

device

 $48
XARELTO

drug

 $39
SURGISEAL

device

 $36
GENERAL ULTRASOUND

device

 $33
PERIPHERAL ORBITAL ATHERECTOMY SYSTEM

device

 $33
AFX

device

 $31
FLEXITOUCH

device

 $25
ACTITOUCH

device

 $25
ENTRE

device

 $25
PHILIPS CONSUMABLES

device

 $24
BIOGLUE

device

 $19
PHOTOFIX

device

 $19
† 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/257862

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Sep 20, 2018 $831 FOX SV PTA CATHETER AND ARMADA 14 PERCUTANEOUS CATHETER AND VIATRAC 14 PLUS PERIPHERAL CATHETER HERCULINK ELITE RENAL AND BILIARY STENT SYSTEM HI-TORQUE SPARTACORE GUIDE WIRES OMNILINK ELITE VASCULAR STENT SYSTEM SUPERA PERIPHERAL STENT SYSTEM Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jan 18, 2018 $255 OVATION Food and Beverage ENDOLOGIX, INC.
Oct 5, 2018 $122 FOX SV PTA CATHETER AND ARMADA 14 PERCUTANEOUS CATHETER AND VIATRAC 14 PLUS PERIPHERAL CATHETER HERCULINK ELITE RENAL AND BILIARY STENT SYSTEM HI-TORQUE SPARTACORE GUIDE WIRES OMNILINK ELITE VASCULAR STENT SYSTEM SUPERA PERIPHERAL STENT SYSTEM Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 19, 2018 $102 EPIQ 7G Food and Beverage PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Apr 2, 2018 $51 No Listed Product Entertainment AVINGER INC.
Oct 22, 2018 $33 GENERAL ULTRASOUND Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Nov 6, 2018 $31 OVATION AFX Food and Beverage ENDOLOGIX, INC.
Jan 20, 2018 $27 OVATION Food and Beverage ENDOLOGIX, INC.
Oct 10, 2018 $25 FLEXITOUCH ACTITOUCH ENTRE Food and Beverage TACTILE SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY INC
Oct 18, 2018 $24 PERIPHERAL ORBITAL ATHERECTOMY SYSTEM Food and Beverage CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS INC.
Aug 6, 2018 $24 PHILIPS CONSUMABLES Food and Beverage PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Apr 23, 2018 $21 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging AVINGER INC.
May 21, 2018 $19 BIOGLUE PHOTOFIX Food and Beverage CRYOLIFE, INC.
Feb 5, 2018 $19 No Listed Product Food and Beverage AVINGER INC.
Feb 5, 2018 $19 No Listed Product Food and Beverage AVINGER INC.
Sep 14, 2018 $18 FOX SV PTA CATHETER AND ARMADA 14 PERCUTANEOUS CATHETER AND VIATRAC 14 PLUS PERIPHERAL CATHETER HERCULINK ELITE RENAL AND BILIARY STENT SYSTEM HI-TORQUE SPARTACORE GUIDE WIRES OMNILINK ELITE VASCULAR STENT SYSTEM SUPERA PERIPHERAL STENT SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 14, 2018 $18 FOX SV PTA CATHETER AND ARMADA 14 PERCUTANEOUS CATHETER AND VIATRAC 14 PLUS PERIPHERAL CATHETER HERCULINK ELITE RENAL AND BILIARY STENT SYSTEM HI-TORQUE SPARTACORE GUIDE WIRES OMNILINK ELITE VASCULAR STENT SYSTEM SUPERA PERIPHERAL STENT SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 10, 2018 $16 XARELTO Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Jul 26, 2018 $15 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ACELL, INC.
Jan 19, 2018 $15 OVATION Food and Beverage ENDOLOGIX, 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/257862

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.