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/336747
  • 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/336747
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.

DANIEL BETHENCOURT

Listed Specialty: Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery)
2865 ATLANTIC AVENUE, SUITE 205, LONG BEACH, CA, 90806-1745

2018 Payments: At a Glance

29

payments

$2,407

payment total

11

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 28 $1,777
Honoraria
 1 $630

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†
EDWARDS INTUITY ELITE VALVE SYSTEM

device

 $654
ECM

device

 $288
AVALUS

device

 $275
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $250
CODMAN CERTAS

device

 $160
CODMAN HAKIM PRECISION VALVE

device

 $160
CUSA CLARITY

device

 $160
DURAGEN

device

 $160
DURASEAL EXACT

device

 $160
INVOS

device

 $133
3F

device

 $112
TRIFECTA GT TISSUE HEART VALVE

device

 $107
SIMULUS

device

 $105
MOSAIC

device

 $92
MITRA CLIP SYSTEM

device

 $77
ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM

device

 $58
SPECTRA WAVEWRITER

device

 $56
IMPELLA

device

 $35
LIFEVEST

device

 $4
† 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
Jun 20, 2018 $630 EDWARDS INTUITY ELITE VALVE SYSTEM Honoraria EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Jan 28, 2018 $153 AVALUS Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Apr 29, 2018 $136 ECM Food and Beverage AZIYO BIOLOGICS, INC.
Jan 16, 2018 $133 INVOS Food and Beverage COVIDIEN LP
May 1, 2018 $130 ECM Food and Beverage AZIYO BIOLOGICS, INC.
May 16, 2018 $107 TRIFECTA GT TISSUE HEART VALVE Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jan 24, 2018 $105 SIMULUS Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jul 31, 2018 $100 3F Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 27, 2018 $100 No Listed Product Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jul 10, 2018 $96 No Listed Product Food and Beverage MASIMO CORPORATION
Jun 14, 2018 $92 MOSAIC Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Mar 27, 2018 $81 AVALUS Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Apr 3, 2018 $77 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 20, 2018 $76 CODMAN CERTAS CUSA CLARITY DURAGEN DURASEAL EXACT CODMAN HAKIM PRECISION VALVE Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Apr 30, 2018 $58 ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Jul 27, 2018 $53 CODMAN CERTAS CUSA CLARITY DURAGEN DURASEAL EXACT CODMAN HAKIM PRECISION VALVE Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Jul 6, 2018 $41 AVALUS Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jun 16, 2018 $35 No Listed Product Food and Beverage EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
May 10, 2018 $31 CODMAN CERTAS CUSA CLARITY DURAGEN DURASEAL EXACT CODMAN HAKIM PRECISION VALVE Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Jan 23, 2018 $24 EDWARDS INTUITY ELITE VALVE SYSTEM Food and Beverage EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION

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/336747

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.