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/327186
  • 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/327186
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.


KI HWANG

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
504 VALLEY RD, 2ND FLOOR, WAYNE, NJ, 07470-3534

2018 Payments: At a Glance

67

payments

$21,408

payment total

7

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
3 $12,953
Travel and Lodging
13 $5,105
Food and Beverage
51 $3,351

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
XIA

device

$9,529
BENGAL

device

$7,749
SYNAPSE

device

$7,749
TRITANIUM

device

$7,518
ES2

device

$7,476
ARIA

device

$5,735
ALIF

device

$512
MAXCESS

device

$303
IFUSE IMPLANT

device

$233
PULSE

device

$203
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$194
PRODISC C

device

$157
ARI ANTERIOR STAPLE SYSTEM

device

$149
GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

$142
YUKON OCT SPINAL SYSTEM

device

$133
AVIATOR

device

$133
COHERE

device

$76
MESA SPINAL SYSTEM

device

$74
X-CORE

device

$47
XLIF

device

$47
† 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/327186

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Dec 6, 2018 $5,250 ARIA XIA TRITANIUM ES2 Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Feb 2, 2018 $4,543 BENGAL SYNAPSE Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Mar 21, 2018 $3,160 BENGAL SYNAPSE Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Sep 7, 2018 $1,458 XIA ES2 Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Oct 18, 2018 $665 TRITANIUM Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Feb 23, 2018 $630 XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 19, 2018 $485 ARIA XIA TRITANIUM ES2 Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 15, 2018 $477 ALIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Feb 12, 2018 $458 XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 14, 2018 $382 XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Feb 12, 2018 $325 XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 29, 2018 $303 MAXCESS Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Oct 23, 2018 $203 PULSE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Mar 3, 2018 $149 ARI ANTERIOR STAPLE SYSTEM Food and Beverage K2M, INC.
Jan 22, 2018 $149 TRITANIUM Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 27, 2018 $145 IFUSE IMPLANT Food and Beverage SI-BONE, INC.
Aug 21, 2018 $142 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Food and Beverage K2M, INC.
Jul 10, 2018 $142 PRODISC C Food and Beverage CENTINEL SPINE, LLC
Oct 25, 2018 $141 TRITANIUM Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Feb 4, 2018 $133 YUKON OCT SPINAL SYSTEM Food and Beverage K2M, 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/327186

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.