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/346740
  • 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/346740
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.

VIVEK KAUL

Listed Specialty: Gastroenterology
601 ELMWOOD AVE, BOX MED, ROCHESTER, NY, 14642-0001

2018 Payments: At a Glance

47

payments

$15,854

payment total

13

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 8 $8,615
Education
 2 $2,800
Travel and Lodging
 9 $1,980
Food and Beverage
 27 $1,944
Promotional Speaking/Other
 1 $515

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†
OLYMPUS EUS DEVICES

device

 $6,226
COOK MEDICAL HEMOSPRAY

device

 $4,725
HEMOSTASIS CLIP

device

 $1,200
MB MMX

drug

 $1,021
COOK MEDICAL HEMOSTASIS

device

 $935
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $382
OLYMPUS EMR & ESD DEVICES

device

 $360
ALL PRODUCTS

device

 $245
COOK MEDICAL BILIARY

device

 $211
GENERAL BILIARY DEVICES

device

 $136
OLYMPUS ENDOTHERAPY ACCESSORIES

device

 $135
XIFAXAN

drug

 $121
COOK MEDICAL ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND

device

 $77
ELEVIEW

device

 $41
CONMED HEMOSTASIS

device

 $24
ORBERA

device

 $15
OVERSTITCH

device

 $15
† 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
Dec 21, 2018 $2,000 COOK MEDICAL HEMOSPRAY Education WILSON COOK MEDICAL INCORPORATED
Oct 16, 2018 $1,750 COOK MEDICAL HEMOSPRAY Consulting WILSON COOK MEDICAL INCORPORATED
Aug 20, 2018 $1,545 OLYMPUS EUS DEVICES Consulting OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
Aug 20, 2018 $1,288 OLYMPUS EUS DEVICES Consulting OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
Jun 27, 2018 $1,200 HEMOSTASIS CLIP Consulting CONMED CORPORATION
Aug 20, 2018 $1,030 OLYMPUS EUS DEVICES Consulting OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
Jun 11, 2018 $800 COOK MEDICAL HEMOSTASIS Education WILSON COOK MEDICAL INCORPORATED
Aug 20, 2018 $773 OLYMPUS EUS DEVICES Consulting OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
Dec 21, 2018 $630 COOK MEDICAL HEMOSPRAY Travel and Lodging WILSON COOK MEDICAL INCORPORATED
May 2, 2018 $604 MB MMX Travel and Lodging ARIES PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Aug 20, 2018 $515 OLYMPUS EUS DEVICES Consulting OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
Dec 3, 2018 $515 OLYMPUS EUS DEVICES Promotional Speaking/Other OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
Aug 20, 2018 $515 OLYMPUS EUS DEVICES Consulting OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
Apr 16, 2018 $354 OLYMPUS EMR & ESD DEVICES Travel and Lodging OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
May 2, 2018 $277 MB MMX Food and Beverage ARIES PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Oct 6, 2018 $214 ALL PRODUCTS Food and Beverage MICRO-TECH ENDOSCOPY USA, INC.
Dec 11, 2018 $143 COOK MEDICAL HEMOSPRAY Travel and Lodging COOK INCORPORATED
May 2, 2018 $140 MB MMX Travel and Lodging ARIES PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Jun 2, 2018 $139 COOK MEDICAL BILIARY Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Dec 12, 2018 $136 GENERAL BILIARY DEVICES Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC 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/346740

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.