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/320811
  • 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/320811
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.

RICHARD WESTMARK

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
18333 EGRET BAY BLVD, SUITE 200, HOUSTON, TX, 77058-3860

2018 Payments: At a Glance

33

payments

$11,024

payment total

8

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 4 $8,626
Food and Beverage
 29 $2,398

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†
CREO MCS

device

 $8,626
COHERE

device

 $720
EXPEDIUM

device

 $617
LESSRAY

device

 $503
IGA

device

 $410
COUGAR

device

 $348
OSTEOCEL

device

 $322
ACIS

device

 $244
MATRIX

device

 $242
SYNAPSE

device

 $230
PLIF

device

 $200
RELINE

device

 $184
MODULUS

device

 $162
BENDINI

device

 $142
MAXCESS-C

device

 $141
BASE

device

 $130
POWER

device

 $130
VIPER

device

 $124
VIVIGEN

device

 $120
MOUNTAINEER

device

 $119
† 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/320811

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Dec 31, 2018 $2,606 CREO MCS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jun 30, 2018 $2,045 CREO MCS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Mar 31, 2018 $2,018 CREO MCS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Sep 30, 2018 $1,957 CREO MCS Royalty or License GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Oct 17, 2018 $162 COHERE OSTEOCEL LESSRAY MODULUS Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Jun 6, 2018 $144 COHERE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Dec 5, 2018 $144 IGA Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Apr 25, 2018 $142 LESSRAY IGA BENDINI Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
May 2, 2018 $141 OSTEOCEL MAXCESS-C COHERE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Aug 23, 2018 $134 EXPEDIUM Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES INC.
Jan 5, 2018 $132 PLIF RELINE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Aug 1, 2018 $130 LESSRAY Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Sep 19, 2018 $130 POWER COHERE BASE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Mar 21, 2018 $125 IGA Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Nov 14, 2018 $124 COHERE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Dec 19, 2018 $123 EXPEDIUM MATRIX COUGAR Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES INC.
Feb 21, 2018 $120 EXPEDIUM VIVIGEN ACIS Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES INC.
Nov 28, 2018 $119 EXPEDIUM MOUNTAINEER COUGAR MATRIX Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES INC.
Apr 4, 2018 $106 EXPEDIUM SYNAPSE COUGAR Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES INC.
Sep 19, 2018 $73 SYNAPSE VIPER ACIS Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES 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/320811

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.