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/345873
  • 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/345873
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.


THOMAS WUERZ

Listed Specialty: Sports Medicine
125 PARKER HILL AVE, BOSTON, MA, 02120-2847

2018 Payments: At a Glance

95

payments

$69,368

payment total

8

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
7 $30,221
Travel and Lodging
34 $28,943
Promotional Speaking/Other
2 $6,000
Food and Beverage
52 $4,203

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
LINVATEC HIP PRESERVATION SYSTEM

device

$22,915
HIP ARTHROSCOPY ACCESS & INSTRUMENTATION SET

device

$20,615
PIVOT PORTAL ENTRY KIT

device

$13,601
AMBIENT HIPVAC

device

$6,288
ELITE HIP INSTRUMENTS

device

$6,288
Q-FIX

device

$3,855
SUTUREFIX

device

$2,593
HEALICOIL

device

$2,265
BIORAPTOR

device

$2,023
OSTEORAPTOR

device

$2,023
ACCUPASS DIRECT CRESCENT XL

device

$1,449
HIPSTRUMENTS

device

$879
BIORAPTOR KNOTLESS

device

$849
SPEEDLOCK HIP

device

$569
NANO TACT FLEX

device

$454
HIPMAP

device

$400
REGENETEN

device

$309
CINCHLOCK SS

device

$269
COBLATION WANDS

device

$207
MI-EYE

device

$204
† 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/345873

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jun 28, 2018 $10,600 PIVOT PORTAL ENTRY KIT Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 5, 2018 $10,600 HIP ARTHROSCOPY ACCESS & INSTRUMENTATION SET Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 8, 2018 $8,933 LINVATEC HIP PRESERVATION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging LINVATEC CORPORATION
Jul 14, 2018 $5,559 LINVATEC HIP PRESERVATION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging LINVATEC CORPORATION
Mar 19, 2018 $5,000 ELITE HIP INSTRUMENTS AMBIENT HIPVAC Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Nov 7, 2018 $3,000 LINVATEC HIP PRESERVATION SYSTEM Consulting LINVATEC CORPORATION
Dec 6, 2018 $2,800 PIVOT PORTAL ENTRY KIT Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 26, 2018 $2,800 HIP ARTHROSCOPY ACCESS & INSTRUMENTATION SET Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 13, 2018 $2,558 HIP ARTHROSCOPY ACCESS & INSTRUMENTATION SET Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 25, 2018 $2,372 HIP ARTHROSCOPY ACCESS & INSTRUMENTATION SET Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jan 10, 2018 $1,569 BIORAPTOR HEALICOIL OSTEORAPTOR Q-FIX SUTUREFIX Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Mar 19, 2018 $1,000 ELITE HIP INSTRUMENTS AMBIENT HIPVAC Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Dec 19, 2018 $969 LINVATEC HIP PRESERVATION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging LINVATEC CORPORATION
Jan 10, 2018 $879 ACCUPASS DIRECT CRESCENT XL HIPSTRUMENTS Q-FIX Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Mar 2, 2018 $744 LINVATEC HIP PRESERVATION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging LINVATEC CORPORATION
Mar 27, 2018 $569 ACCUPASS DIRECT CRESCENT XL BIORAPTOR KNOTLESS Q-FIX SPEEDLOCK HIP SUTUREFIX Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Mar 2, 2018 $486 LINVATEC HIP PRESERVATION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging LINVATEC CORPORATION
Apr 5, 2018 $451 HIP ARTHROSCOPY ACCESS & INSTRUMENTATION SET Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Oct 18, 2018 $400 HIPMAP Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 7, 2018 $394 LINVATEC HIP PRESERVATION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging LINVATEC 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/345873

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.