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/3032
  • 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/3032
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.

WILLIAM BERINGER

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
701 MED TECH PKWY, SUITE 300, JOHNSON CITY, TN, 37604-2365

2018 Payments: At a Glance

13

payments

$561

payment total

11

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 13 $561

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†
AXIUM INS DRG IPG

device

 $138
ACTIVL ARTIFICIAL DISC

device

 $132
CERVICAL

device

 $90
BOTOX

drug

 $36
XEOMIN

drug

 $35
LYRICA

drug

 $34
SPECTRA WAVEWRITER

device

 $26
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $25
OZANIMOD

drug

 $23
ACTIVA

device

 $12
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

 $11
† 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
Sep 14, 2018 $138 AXIUM INS DRG IPG Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jun 19, 2018 $132 ACTIVL ARTIFICIAL DISC Food and Beverage AESCULAP IMPLANT SYSTEMS, LLC
Mar 13, 2018 $90 CERVICAL Food and Beverage SPINE WAVE, INC.
Jun 2, 2018 $35 XEOMIN Food and Beverage MERZ NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Oct 5, 2018 $26 SPECTRA WAVEWRITER Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Apr 17, 2018 $25 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ULRICH MEDICAL USA, INC.
Jul 6, 2018 $24 BOTOX Food and Beverage ALLERGAN INC.
Nov 12, 2018 $23 OZANIMOD Food and Beverage CELGENE CORPORATION
Mar 9, 2018 $21 LYRICA Food and Beverage PFIZER INC.
Sep 7, 2018 $13 LYRICA Food and Beverage PFIZER INC.
Dec 14, 2018 $12 BOTOX Food and Beverage ALLERGAN INC.
Mar 23, 2018 $12 ACTIVA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Apr 5, 2018 $11 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, 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.