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/339423
  • 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/339423
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.

STEVEN CARLSON

Listed Specialty: Internal Medicine
1225 15TH ST, 910, SANTA MONICA, CA, 90404-1101

2018 Payments: At a Glance

116

payments

$6,721

payment total

15

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 114 $5,070
Travel and Lodging
 2 $1,651

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†
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $1,656
MICRA

device

 $873
CARTO 3 SYSTEM

device

 $645
WATCHMAN

device

 $513
VIGILANT

device

 $380
GENERAL THERAPIES

device

 $370
AMPLIA MRI

device

 $307
ASSURITY PACEMAKER

device

 $241
XARELTO

drug

 $174
QUADRA ASSURA CRT DEFIBRILLATOR

device

 $170
LEADLESS PACEMAKER

device

 $165
RHYTHMVIEW WORK STATIONS

device

 $162
FORTIFY ASSURA, ELLIPSE ICD

device

 $161
AZURE

device

 $122
CARTOSOUND

device

 $117
PENTARAY

device

 $117
SOUNDSTAR

device

 $117
CARTO SMARTTOUCH

device

 $115
ELIQUIS

drug

 $111
QUADRA ALLURE MP RF CRT PACEMKR

device

 $92
† 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/339423

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Aug 14, 2018 $1,514 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Aug 8, 2018 $170 ASSURITY PACEMAKER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Feb 8, 2018 $168 AMPLIA MRI Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jul 24, 2018 $161 FORTIFY ASSURA, ELLIPSE ICD Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 9, 2018 $151 QUADRA ASSURA CRT DEFIBRILLATOR Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 7, 2018 $150 MICRA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 13, 2018 $140 MICRA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Apr 19, 2018 $139 AMPLIA MRI Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Mar 28, 2018 $138 GENERAL THERAPIES Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 18, 2018 $137 CARTO 3 SYSTEM Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Mar 7, 2018 $133 MICRA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Dec 21, 2018 $124 MICRA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Oct 26, 2018 $123 WATCHMAN Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 21, 2018 $120 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS LP
Mar 27, 2018 $118 MICRA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Aug 19, 2018 $118 VIGILANT Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 6, 2018 $114 CARTO 3 SYSTEM Food and Beverage BIOSENSE WEBSTER, INC.
Feb 13, 2018 $108 LEADLESS PACEMAKER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 1, 2018 $107 WATCHMAN Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Apr 8, 2018 $106 MICRA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, 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/339423

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.