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/342057
  • 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/342057
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.


LAURA SUDARSKY

Listed Specialty: Surgery of the Hand
6333 N FEDERAL HWY, FT LAUDERDALE, FL, 33308-1907

2018 Payments: At a Glance

52

payments

$20,573

payment total

14

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
4 $9,559
Gift
4 $6,854
Food and Beverage
33 $1,677
Travel and Lodging
9 $1,645
Promotional Speaking/Other
2 $838

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
PREVENA

device

$9,052
NATRELLE

device

$6,974
VAC VERAFLO

device

$2,379
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$1,583
AEROFORM TISSUE EXPANDER SYSTEM

device

$373
ALLODERM

device

$267
GIAPREZA

drug

$125
ACTIVAC

device

$81
FISTULA SOLUTION

device

$81
SILVERCEL

device

$81
OVITEX

device

$80
AMNIOEXCEL

device

$75
BILAYER WOUND MATRIX BWM

device

$75
FLOWABLE

device

$75
IDRT

device

$75
INTEGRA WOUND MATRIX IWM

device

$75
XEOMIN

drug

$57
MEMORYGEL BREAST IMPLANTS

device

$43
ASCLERA

drug

$43
AQUACEL AG

device

$17
† 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/342057

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
May 4, 2018 $4,334 PREVENA Consulting KCI USA, INC
Sep 24, 2018 $2,700 NATRELLE Gift ALLERGAN INC.
Oct 19, 2018 $2,054 NATRELLE Gift ALLERGAN INC.
Aug 24, 2018 $1,900 PREVENA Consulting KCI USA, INC
Dec 7, 2018 $1,900 VAC VERAFLO Consulting KCI USA, INC
Apr 13, 2018 $1,425 PREVENA Consulting KCI USA, INC
Aug 23, 2018 $1,350 NATRELLE Gift ALLERGAN INC.
Jun 13, 2018 $750 NATRELLE Gift ALLERGAN INC.
Jan 30, 2018 $588 PREVENA Promotional Speaking/Other KCI USA, INC
Jan 30, 2018 $503 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MUSCULOSKELETAL TRANSPLANT FOUNDATION INC. American Express
Apr 26, 2018 $361 VAC VERAFLO PREVENA Travel and Lodging KCI USA, INC
Apr 29, 2018 $252 PREVENA Travel and Lodging KCI USA, INC
May 17, 2018 $250 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, INC. HMP Spring SAWC Focus Group
Mar 13, 2018 $193 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MUSCULOSKELETAL TRANSPLANT FOUNDATION INC. Flyte Tyme Limousine
Sep 28, 2018 $164 AEROFORM TISSUE EXPANDER SYSTEM Food and Beverage AIRXPANDERS, INC.
Apr 26, 2018 $130 No Listed Product Food and Beverage KCI USA, INC
Sep 20, 2018 $125 GIAPREZA Food and Beverage LA JOLLA PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY
May 11, 2018 $125 ALLODERM Food and Beverage ALLERGAN INC.
Oct 4, 2018 $117 AEROFORM TISSUE EXPANDER SYSTEM Food and Beverage AIRXPANDERS, INC.
Mar 6, 2018 $115 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MUSCULOSKELETAL TRANSPLANT FOUNDATION INC. Flyte Tyme Limousine

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/342057

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.