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/290669
  • 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/290669
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.

PIERCE NUNLEY

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
1500 LINE AVENUE, STE 200, SHREVEPORT, LA, 71101

2018 Payments: At a Glance

84

payments

$255,236

payment total

15

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 11 $165K
Consulting
 15 $75,013
Travel and Lodging
 28 $13,716
Food and Beverage
 30 $1,895

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†
ROI-A

device

 $82,034
CASCADIA INTERBODY SYSTEM

device

 $51,571
RAMPART DUO INTERBODY FUSION SYSTEM

device

 $37,146
ALEUTIAN INTERBODY SYSTEMS

device

 $30,142
GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

 $28,484
LATERAL RETRACTOR

device

 $9,053
MOBI-C

device

 $5,598
LINEUM POSTERIOR CERVICAL

device

 $4,800
VIRAGE

device

 $4,800
LATERAL ACCESS SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $3,900
RAVINE LATERAL ACCESS SYSTEM

device

 $3,742
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $1,171
BACS

device

 $1,020
SUPERION ISS

device

 $1,000
MESA SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $108
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

 $107
COFLEX

device

 $41
COHERE

device

 $41
LESSRAY

device

 $41
X-CORE MINI

device

 $41
† 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/290669

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 16, 2018 $51,426 CASCADIA INTERBODY SYSTEM Royalty or License K2M, INC.
Feb 16, 2018 $30,142 ALEUTIAN INTERBODY SYSTEMS Royalty or License K2M, INC.
Oct 31, 2018 $30,138 RAMPART DUO INTERBODY FUSION SYSTEM Consulting SPINEOLOGY INC.
Feb 20, 2018 $17,689 ROI-A Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Oct 3, 2018 $17,689 ROI-A Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Oct 3, 2018 $11,397 ROI-A Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 14, 2018 $10,852 ROI-A Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Oct 3, 2018 $9,941 ROI-A Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Jun 7, 2018 $9,941 ROI-A Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 15, 2018 $7,800 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 7, 2018 $7,500 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Consulting K2M, INC.
Apr 5, 2018 $7,275 LATERAL RETRACTOR Consulting K2M, INC.
Jul 12, 2018 $7,200 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Consulting K2M, INC.
Nov 29, 2018 $3,300 LATERAL ACCESS SPINAL SYSTEM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Feb 8, 2018 $2,752 RAMPART DUO INTERBODY FUSION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SPINEOLOGY INC.
Aug 30, 2018 $2,400 MOBI-C VIRAGE LINEUM POSTERIOR CERVICAL Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Aug 30, 2018 $2,400 LINEUM POSTERIOR CERVICAL VIRAGE MOBI-C Consulting ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Oct 3, 2018 $2,263 ROI-A Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Jun 8, 2018 $2,263 ROI-A Royalty or License ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Feb 8, 2018 $1,974 RAMPART DUO INTERBODY FUSION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SPINEOLOGY 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/290669

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.