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/341200
  • 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/341200
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.


WILLIAM TAYLOR

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
200 W ARBOR DR, MAIL CODE 8893, SAN DIEGO, CA, 92103-9001

2018 Payments: At a Glance

62

payments

$580,550

payment total

9

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
11 $535K
Consulting
9 $32,534
Nonaccredited Training
3 $7,750
Travel and Lodging
7 $3,549
Food and Beverage
32 $1,566

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
MAXCESS

device

$391K
COROENT

device

$386K
SPHERX

device

$386K
TRAVERSE

device

$319K
ILLICO

device

$144K
XLIF

device

$13,032
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$10,782
LLIF

device

$9,761
TLIF

device

$4,135
OTHER - MISCELLANEOUS

device

$3,000
EXPEDIUM

device

$2,620
POROUS TI

device

$1,553
OTHER - MIS

device

$204
VIPER

device

$179
PLIF

device

$83
CD HORIZON

device

$33
SPINAL PAK 2

device

$22
TRITANIUM

device

$19
TLX

device

$14
BIOMET ORTHOPAK

device

$13
† 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/341200

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 13, 2018 $91,062 COROENT SPHERX MAXCESS TRAVERSE Royalty or License NUVASIVE, INC.
Aug 13, 2018 $78,932 SPHERX COROENT MAXCESS TRAVERSE Royalty or License NUVASIVE, INC.
May 9, 2018 $74,443 TRAVERSE MAXCESS COROENT SPHERX Royalty or License NUVASIVE, INC.
Sep 25, 2018 $74,443 COROENT MAXCESS SPHERX TRAVERSE Royalty or License NUVASIVE, INC.
Nov 13, 2018 $67,051 COROENT SPHERX MAXCESS Royalty or License NUVASIVE, INC.
Feb 27, 2018 $46,185 ILLICO Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Aug 27, 2018 $33,223 ILLICO Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
May 30, 2018 $32,808 ILLICO Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Nov 27, 2018 $32,114 ILLICO Royalty or License ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Mar 22, 2018 $9,500 LLIF Consulting ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Jan 11, 2018 $8,333 XLIF Consulting NUVASIVE, INC.
Aug 30, 2018 $3,500 TLIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC.
May 17, 2018 $3,000 OTHER - MISCELLANEOUS Consulting ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Aug 14, 2018 $2,750 XLIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC.
Feb 13, 2018 $2,736 MAXCESS Royalty or License NUVASIVE, INC.
Aug 6, 2018 $2,500 No Listed Product Consulting DEPUY SYNTHES PRODUCTS LLC
Jul 26, 2018 $2,500 No Listed Product Consulting DEPUY SYNTHES PRODUCTS LLC
Jul 27, 2018 $2,500 EXPEDIUM Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
May 9, 2018 $2,156 MAXCESS Royalty or License NUVASIVE, INC. Regents of the Univ of California
Mar 21, 2018 $2,100 No Listed Product Consulting DEPUY SYNTHES PRODUCTS LLC

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/341200

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.