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/334464
  • 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/334464
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.

JOHN MCKENZIE

Listed Specialty: Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
660 W BROADWAY, GLENDALE, CA, 91204-1008

2018 Payments: At a Glance

152

payments

$30,113

payment total

19

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 13 $19,500
Food and Beverage
 128 $7,218
Travel and Lodging
 10 $1,895
Promotional Speaking/Other
 1 $1,500

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†
ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM

device

 $11,042
HEARTMATE

device

 $5,850
CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM

device

 $3,792
LIFEVEST

device

 $1,678
VISIA AF

device

 $1,025
VIEWFLEX XTRA ICE CATHETER

device

 $906
MICRA

device

 $825
RESONATE

device

 $689
SQRX PULSE GENERATOR

device

 $523
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $341
PACEMAKERS

device

 $330
MRI READY LEADS

device

 $309
EMBLEM

device

 $283
ENTRESTO

drug

 $275
SUPERA PERIPHERAL STENT SYSTEM

device

 $236
ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER

device

 $188
ACCENT PACEMAKER

device

 $188
MITRA CLIP SYSTEM

device

 $170
QUARTET CRT LEAD

device

 $163
EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE

device

 $151
† 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/334464

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
May 3, 2018 $3,120 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES HEART RHYTHM SPECIALISTS
Nov 29, 2018 $3,120 HEARTMATE Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 13, 2018 $2,730 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES HEART RHYTHM SPECIALISTS
May 3, 2018 $2,730 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES HEART RHYTHM SPECIALISTS
Nov 29, 2018 $1,560 HEARTMATE Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 28, 2018 $1,500 LIFEVEST Promotional Speaking/Other ZOLL SERVICES LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LIFECOR CORP)
May 3, 2018 $1,170 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES HEART RHYTHM SPECIALISTS
Nov 15, 2018 $1,170 CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
May 3, 2018 $1,170 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES HEART RHYTHM SPECIALISTS
Nov 15, 2018 $780 CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 29, 2018 $780 HEARTMATE Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 3, 2018 $578 VISIA AF Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Dec 4, 2018 $465 VIEWFLEX XTRA ICE CATHETER Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 29, 2018 $390 HEARTMATE Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 15, 2018 $390 CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 15, 2018 $390 CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 4, 2018 $225 VISIA AF Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Dec 11, 2018 $191 VIEWFLEX XTRA ICE CATHETER Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jan 19, 2018 $182 MRI READY LEADS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Dec 28, 2018 $181 ACCENT PACEMAKER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES

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/334464

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.