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/302092
  • 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/302092
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.

KENNETH SANDS

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
709 S HARBOR CITY BLVD, SUITE 100, MELBOURNE, FL, 32901-1938

2018 Payments: At a Glance

66

payments

$96,952

payment total

9

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 12 $73,650
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $16,850
Travel and Lodging
 22 $4,822
Food and Beverage
 30 $1,630

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†
DJO SURGICAL TAPERFILL HIP SYSTEM

device

 $51,025
DJO SURGICAL EMPOWR KNEE SYSTEM

device

 $50,187
JOURNEY II XR

device

 $42,039
JII UNICONDYLAR KNEE SYSTEM

device

 $17,055
JOURNEY II BCS

device

 $9,808
JOURNEY II CR

device

 $9,750
JOURNEY UNI

device

 $8,455
NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

 $1,835
VERILAST HIPS

device

 $836
VISIONAIRE SOLUTIONS

device

 $554
DJO SURGICAL CLP HIP SYSTEM

device

 $526
VISIONAIRE CUTTING GUIDES

device

 $473
DJO SURGICAL EPIK UNI KNEE

device

 $192
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $149
AQUAMANTYS

device

 $105
DJO SURGICAL LINEAR HIP SYSTEM

device

 $92
MAKO

device

 $36
DJO SURGICAL 3DKNEE SYSTEM

device

 $18
SURGICAL WOUND CLOSURE PRODUCT

device

 $18
MONOVISC

device

 $14
† 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/302092

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Aug 15, 2018 $20,700 DJO SURGICAL EMPOWR KNEE SYSTEM DJO SURGICAL TAPERFILL HIP SYSTEM Consulting ENCORE MEDICAL, LP
Apr 23, 2018 $11,850 DJO SURGICAL EMPOWR KNEE SYSTEM DJO SURGICAL TAPERFILL HIP SYSTEM Consulting ENCORE MEDICAL, LP
Jun 19, 2018 $10,000 JOURNEY II XR Consulting SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. MTM ASSOCIATES
Dec 21, 2018 $9,750 JOURNEY II CR JOURNEY II XR Consulting SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. MTM ASSOCIATES
Mar 2, 2018 $8,600 JII UNICONDYLAR KNEE SYSTEM JOURNEY II XR Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. MTM ASSOCIATES
Nov 2, 2018 $8,550 DJO SURGICAL TAPERFILL HIP SYSTEM DJO SURGICAL EMPOWR KNEE SYSTEM Consulting ENCORE MEDICAL, LP
Nov 20, 2018 $8,250 JII UNICONDYLAR KNEE SYSTEM JOURNEY UNI JOURNEY II BCS JOURNEY II XR Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. MTM ASSOCIATES
Feb 20, 2018 $4,050 DJO SURGICAL EMPOWR KNEE SYSTEM DJO SURGICAL TAPERFILL HIP SYSTEM Consulting ENCORE MEDICAL, LP
Apr 17, 2018 $2,550 DJO SURGICAL TAPERFILL HIP SYSTEM DJO SURGICAL EMPOWR KNEE SYSTEM Consulting ENCORE MEDICAL, LP
Aug 15, 2018 $2,400 DJO SURGICAL EMPOWR KNEE SYSTEM DJO SURGICAL TAPERFILL HIP SYSTEM Consulting ENCORE MEDICAL, LP
Apr 12, 2018 $1,800 JOURNEY II XR Consulting SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. MTM ASSOCIATES
Feb 23, 2018 $1,000 JOURNEY II XR Consulting SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. MTM ASSOCIATES
Feb 23, 2018 $900 JOURNEY II XR Consulting SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. MTM ASSOCIATES
May 16, 2018 $776 JOURNEY II XR Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Feb 1, 2018 $445 VISIONAIRE CUTTING GUIDES NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Oct 10, 2018 $427 VERILAST HIPS NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 31, 2018 $416 VISIONAIRE SOLUTIONS NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM JOURNEY II BCS Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Oct 19, 2018 $392 DJO SURGICAL TAPERFILL HIP SYSTEM Travel and Lodging ENCORE MEDICAL, LP
Apr 20, 2018 $386 DJO SURGICAL CLP HIP SYSTEM Travel and Lodging ENCORE MEDICAL, LP
Nov 16, 2018 $324 JOURNEY II BCS Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, 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/302092

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.