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/286629
  • 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/286629
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.

ANDERS COHEN

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
240 WILLOUGHBY ST, SUITE 4E, BROOKLYN, NY, 11201-5465

2018 Payments: At a Glance

19

payments

$54,292

payment total

10

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 4 $37,520
Royalty or License
 5 $15,361
Food and Beverage
 9 $1,315
Travel and Lodging
 1 $96

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†
BLACKHAWK

device

 $32,908
MIS SLC

device

 $18,942
CALIBER-L

device

 $1,705
BLACKBIRD

device

 $673
TIGER SHARK

device

 $673
TOMCAT

device

 $673
VEO

device

 $673
TRITANIUM

device

 $143
UNISON-C

device

 $105
NANOSS ABGS FAMILY

device

 $102
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $94
KIVA VCF TREATMENT SYSTEM

device

 $92
BLAZER VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION KIT

device

 $92
EXPAREL

drug

 $78
VIPER

device

 $78
SPINAL IMPLANTS

device

 $63
GENERAL CLARIANCE PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

 $60
† 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.

Payment Details

All payments are displayed, the largest appearing on top.

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 31, 2018 $18,578 BLACKHAWK Consulting CHOICE SPINE, LLC
Jan 31, 2018 $13,656 BLACKHAWK Royalty or License CHOICE SPINE, LLC
Feb 13, 2018 $6,765 MIS SLC Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
May 8, 2018 $6,282 MIS SLC Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Aug 21, 2018 $5,895 MIS SLC Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Jan 2, 2018 $577 BLACKHAWK TIGER SHARK BLACKBIRD TOMCAT VEO Food and Beverage CHOICE SPINE, LLC
Jun 30, 2018 $570 CALIBER-L Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Mar 31, 2018 $557 CALIBER-L Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Sep 30, 2018 $301 CALIBER-L Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Dec 31, 2018 $277 CALIBER-L Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Feb 13, 2018 $143 TRITANIUM Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 17, 2018 $105 UNISON-C Food and Beverage RTI SURGICAL, INC.
Jul 2, 2018 $102 NANOSS ABGS FAMILY Food and Beverage RTI SURGICAL, INC.
Apr 13, 2018 $96 BLACKHAWK TIGER SHARK BLACKBIRD TOMCAT VEO Travel and Lodging CHOICE SPINE, LLC
Jul 23, 2018 $94 No Listed Product Food and Beverage GS SOLUTIONS, INC.
Mar 5, 2018 $92 KIVA VCF TREATMENT SYSTEM BLAZER VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION KIT Food and Beverage BENVENUE MEDICAL INC
May 14, 2018 $78 EXPAREL VIPER Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES INC.
Sep 27, 2018 $63 SPINAL IMPLANTS Food and Beverage SPINE WAVE, INC.
May 13, 2018 $60 GENERAL CLARIANCE PRODUCT DISCUSSION Food and Beverage CLARIANCE, INC.

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.