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/275991
  • 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/275991
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.

ELLIOT EPNER

Listed Specialty: Hematology & Oncology
500 UNIVERSITY DR, HERSHEY, PA, 17033-2360

2018 Payments: At a Glance

34

payments

$1,371

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 33 $1,359
Education
 1 $12

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†
OPDIVO

drug

 $211
KEYTRUDA

drug

 $166
IMBRUVICA

drug

 $128
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $126
NINLARO

drug

 $125
AVASTIN

drug

 $125
SYNDROS

drug

 $124
EMPLICITI

drug

 $105
KISQALI

drug

 $100
VERZENIO

drug

 $52
CYRAMZA

drug

 $37
IMFINZI

drug

 $32
DARZALEX

drug

 $24
LARTRUVO

drug

 $21
LYNPARZA

drug

 $18
ERLEADA

drug

 $17
FLEXITOUCH

device

 $17
ACTITOUCH

device

 $17
ENTRE

device

 $17
MEKINIST

drug

 $16
† 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/275991

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Apr 24, 2018 $129 KEYTRUDA Food and Beverage MERCK SHARP & DOHME CORPORATION
Mar 15, 2018 $125 NINLARO Food and Beverage TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICALS U.S.A., INC.
Jun 18, 2018 $125 AVASTIN Food and Beverage GENENTECH USA, INC.
Mar 6, 2018 $124 SYNDROS Food and Beverage INSYS THERAPEUTICS INC
Dec 12, 2018 $122 IMBRUVICA Food and Beverage JANSSEN BIOTECH, INC.
May 2, 2018 $112 OPDIVO Food and Beverage E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Oct 5, 2018 $105 EMPLICITI Food and Beverage E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Sep 4, 2018 $103 No Listed Product Food and Beverage LILLY USA, LLC
Aug 6, 2018 $100 KISQALI Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
Sep 24, 2018 $24 OPDIVO Food and Beverage E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Aug 2, 2018 $21 CYRAMZA LARTRUVO VERZENIO Food and Beverage LILLY USA, LLC
Oct 16, 2018 $20 KEYTRUDA Food and Beverage MERCK SHARP & DOHME CORPORATION
Sep 14, 2018 $18 OPDIVO Food and Beverage E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Sep 4, 2018 $18 No Listed Product Food and Beverage MERCK SHARP & DOHME CORPORATION
Jul 25, 2018 $18 KEYTRUDA LYNPARZA Food and Beverage MERCK SHARP & DOHME CORPORATION
Sep 26, 2018 $17 ERLEADA DARZALEX Food and Beverage JANSSEN BIOTECH, INC.
Apr 5, 2018 $17 FLEXITOUCH ACTITOUCH ENTRE Food and Beverage TACTILE SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY INC
Jul 25, 2018 $17 OPDIVO Food and Beverage E.R. SQUIBB & SONS, L.L.C.
Oct 19, 2018 $17 IMFINZI Food and Beverage ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS LP
Sep 19, 2018 $16 CYRAMZA VERZENIO Food and Beverage LILLY USA, LLC

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/275991

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.