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/26703
  • 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/26703
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.


STEVEN BEER

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
1950 BLUEGRASS CIRCLE, STE 170, CHEYENNE, WY, 82009

2018 Payments: At a Glance

46

payments

$66,005

payment total

11

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
6 $57,069
Consulting
3 $6,667
Food and Beverage
34 $1,273
Travel and Lodging
3 $996

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
OSSEOSCREW

device

$47,210
TRESTLE LUXE

device

$47,144
PARALLEL BONE SPACER

device

$15,159
S4 ELEMENT SPINAL SYSTEM

device

$9,925
NEXT GENERATION ACDF PLATE

device

$5,617
ARSENAL

device

$674
PLIF TLIF

device

$667
NEXGEN ACP

device

$500
ARSENAL, LLIF

device

$205
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$162
APOLLO

device

$145
MULTIPLE PRODUCTS

device

$134
CAPSTONE

device

$120
O-ARM-ST

device

$109
ARTEMIS

device

$83
POCT SYSTEM

device

$82
MAZORX - RENAISSANCE

device

$62
ARSENAL, LLIF, ILLICO

device

$62
KYPHON BALLOON KYPHOPLASTY

device

$59
SURGICEL FAMILY OF ABSORBABLE HEMOSTATS

device

$38
† 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/26703

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 27, 2018 $15,159 TRESTLE LUXE OSSEOSCREW PARALLEL BONE SPACER Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
May 30, 2018 $11,678 TRESTLE LUXE OSSEOSCREW Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Aug 27, 2018 $11,468 TRESTLE LUXE OSSEOSCREW Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Nov 27, 2018 $8,838 OSSEOSCREW TRESTLE LUXE Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Jan 4, 2018 $5,500 NEXT GENERATION ACDF PLATE Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Feb 2, 2018 $5,124 S4 ELEMENT SPINAL SYSTEM Royalty or License AESCULAP IMPLANT SYSTEMS, LLC
Aug 10, 2018 $4,801 S4 ELEMENT SPINAL SYSTEM Royalty or License AESCULAP IMPLANT SYSTEMS, LLC
Feb 22, 2018 $674 ARSENAL Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Mar 9, 2018 $667 PLIF TLIF Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Apr 17, 2018 $500 NEXGEN ACP Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Feb 28, 2018 $205 ARSENAL, LLIF Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Feb 8, 2018 $162 No Listed Product Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Apr 29, 2018 $145 APOLLO Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Feb 16, 2018 $134 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Food and Beverage ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Apr 30, 2018 $120 CAPSTONE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jan 4, 2018 $117 NEXT GENERATION ACDF PLATE Travel and Lodging PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Jan 12, 2018 $88 O-ARM-ST Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jan 10, 2018 $82 POCT SYSTEM Food and Beverage PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Nov 28, 2018 $67 OSSEOSCREW Food and Beverage ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Feb 20, 2018 $62 MAZORX - RENAISSANCE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, 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/26703

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.