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/273080
  • 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/273080
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.

BENNIE CHILES

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
280 N CENTRAL AVE, SUITE 235, HARTSDALE, NY, 10530-1832

2018 Payments: At a Glance

35

payments

$39,916

payment total

9

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 4 $37,898
Food and Beverage
 30 $1,519
Consulting
 1 $500

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†
AVALON

device

 $37,898
SOLANAS

device

 $28,374
NANOSS ABGS FAMILY

device

 $500
DBM

device

 $221
CREO

device

 $195
VLIFT

device

 $176
SERRATO

device

 $148
AVIATOR

device

 $147
OTHER - MISCELLANEOUS

device

 $132
PROCLAIM FAMILY OF SCS IPGS

device

 $129
VITOSS

device

 $117
ELSA

device

 $101
MLX

device

 $67
ANCHOR C

device

 $57
EXCELSIUS - GPS

device

 $51
OSTEOCEL

device

 $51
TLIF

device

 $51
KINEX

device

 $50
MOJAVE PL 3D EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM

device

 $46
BIO4

device

 $43
† 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/273080

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 27, 2018 $10,654 SOLANAS AVALON Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
May 30, 2018 $9,524 AVALON Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Aug 27, 2018 $9,417 SOLANAS AVALON Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Nov 27, 2018 $8,302 SOLANAS AVALON Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Mar 14, 2018 $500 NANOSS ABGS FAMILY Consulting RTI SURGICAL, INC. Westchester Spine & Brain Surgery
Feb 20, 2018 $148 DBM SERRATO Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Oct 25, 2018 $147 AVIATOR VLIFT Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 5, 2018 $146 CREO Food and Beverage GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jun 28, 2018 $132 OTHER - MISCELLANEOUS Food and Beverage ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
May 18, 2018 $101 ELSA Food and Beverage GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Sep 5, 2018 $67 DBM VITOSS Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 28, 2018 $66 PROCLAIM FAMILY OF SCS IPGS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 17, 2018 $62 PROCLAIM FAMILY OF SCS IPGS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jan 2, 2018 $58 MLX Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Aug 22, 2018 $51 EXCELSIUS - GPS Food and Beverage GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Feb 13, 2018 $51 TLIF OSTEOCEL Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $50 KINEX Food and Beverage GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Oct 20, 2018 $48 CREO Food and Beverage GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Apr 30, 2018 $46 MOJAVE PL 3D EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM Food and Beverage K2M, INC.
Sep 26, 2018 $40 ALTERA Food and Beverage GLOBUS MEDICAL, 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/273080

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.