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/308111
  • 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/308111
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.


STEFAN KREUZER

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
1140 BUSINESS CENTER DR, #101, HOUSTON, TX, 77043

2018 Payments: At a Glance

124

payments

$862,787

payment total

11

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
7 $682K
Consulting
20 $101K
Promotional Speaking/Other
5 $41,500
Travel and Lodging
36 $31,175
Food and Beverage
56 $6,974

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
MAKO

device

$575K
TRIATHLON

device

$304K
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$69,995
ANTHOLOGY

device

$41,500
R3

device

$41,500
POLARSTEM

device

$39,450
CPCS

device

$37,400
TSOLUTION ONE SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

$30,755
BODYCAD UNI

device

$22,958
U2, PSA, U-MOTION II, UTS, UTF

device

$14,920
REDAPT REVISION HIP SYSTEM

device

$4,100
VERILAST HIPS

device

$4,100
OXINIUM HIPS

device

$2,050
ELIBRA DISPOSABLES

device

$950
VERASENSE

device

$112
UTF, UTS, U-MOTION II

device

$102
DUROLANE

device

$22
PICO

device

$17
MONOVISC

device

$12
ORTHOVISC

device

$12
† 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

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 5, 2018 $150,206 MAKO Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 19, 2018 $122,884 TRIATHLON MAKO Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 8, 2018 $117,364 MAKO Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 7, 2018 $109,705 MAKO Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
May 3, 2018 $106,831 TRIATHLON Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 19, 2018 $74,403 TRIATHLON MAKO Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 7, 2018 $37,400 ANTHOLOGY CPCS POLARSTEM R3 Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. STEFAN KREUZER MD PA
Sep 15, 2018 $21,200 No Listed Product Consulting CORIN USA
Mar 22, 2018 $12,775 TSOLUTION ONE SURGICAL SYSTEM Consulting THINK SURGICAL, INC.
Jul 20, 2018 $11,100 No Listed Product Consulting CORIN USA
May 8, 2018 $10,500 BODYCAD UNI Consulting BODYCAD USA CORP
Nov 7, 2018 $10,000 BODYCAD UNI Consulting BODYCAD USA CORP
Oct 23, 2018 $8,820 TSOLUTION ONE SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging THINK SURGICAL, INC.
Jul 6, 2018 $7,399 U2, PSA, U-MOTION II, UTS, UTF Travel and Lodging UOC USA INC
Nov 19, 2018 $5,700 No Listed Product Consulting CORIN USA
Apr 12, 2018 $4,900 TSOLUTION ONE SURGICAL SYSTEM Consulting THINK SURGICAL, INC.
Oct 18, 2018 $4,320 U2, PSA, U-MOTION II, UTS, UTF Consulting UOC USA INC
Oct 28, 2018 $4,200 No Listed Product Consulting CORIN USA
Nov 19, 2018 $3,032 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging CORIN USA
May 31, 2018 $3,000 No Listed Product Consulting CORIN USA

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/308111

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.