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/353161
  • 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/353161
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.

PAUL SCHWARTZ

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
1255 LIBERTY STREET, REDDING, CA, 96001-0814

2018 Payments: At a Glance

51

payments

$39,387

payment total

4

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 4 $14,850
Travel and Lodging
 23 $11,784
Promotional Speaking/Other
 3 $11,700
Food and Beverage
 21 $1,053

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†
EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM

device

 $27,159
TITAN-SHOULDER

device

 $25,027
FREEDOM WRIST

device

 $24,492
REVERSE SHOULDER

device

 $15,646
PYRO MCP

device

 $9,381
NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

 $8,421
CADENCE ANKLE REPLACEMENT SYSTEM

device

 $3,150
PANTA NAIL

device

 $3,150
SALTO TALARIS TOTAL ANKLE PROSTHESIS

device

 $3,150
FAST-FIX 360

device

 $1,319
Q-FIX

device

 $1,319
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $748
BILAYER WOUND MATRIX BWM

device

 $472
FLOWABLE

device

 $472
INTEGRA WOUND MATRIX IWM

device

 $472
INSTRUMENTS-GENERAL SURGERY

device

 $167
INSTRUMENTS-MICROSURGERY

device

 $167
INSTRUMENTS-ORTHOPEDIC

device

 $167
INSTRUMENTS-PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE

device

 $167
TSSM - TOTAL SHOULDER SYSTEM METAL

device

 $93
† 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/353161

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Aug 31, 2018 $7,200 FREEDOM WRIST TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM PYRO MCP Promotional Speaking/Other INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Oct 12, 2018 $7,200 FREEDOM WRIST REVERSE SHOULDER TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM Consulting INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
May 20, 2018 $6,270 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Oct 12, 2018 $3,825 FREEDOM WRIST REVERSE SHOULDER TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM Consulting INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
May 11, 2018 $3,150 CADENCE ANKLE REPLACEMENT SYSTEM PANTA NAIL SALTO TALARIS TOTAL ANKLE PROSTHESIS EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Oct 12, 2018 $2,025 FREEDOM WRIST REVERSE SHOULDER TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM Consulting INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Oct 12, 2018 $1,800 FREEDOM WRIST REVERSE SHOULDER TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM Consulting INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Aug 31, 2018 $1,350 FREEDOM WRIST TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM PYRO MCP Promotional Speaking/Other INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Feb 15, 2018 $844 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Feb 15, 2018 $819 Q-FIX FAST-FIX 360 Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Sep 27, 2018 $748 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Feb 15, 2018 $500 Q-FIX FAST-FIX 360 Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
May 21, 2018 $452 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Apr 12, 2018 $396 BILAYER WOUND MATRIX BWM FLOWABLE INTEGRA WOUND MATRIX IWM Travel and Lodging INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Oct 19, 2018 $252 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jul 23, 2018 $188 FREEDOM WRIST TITAN-SHOULDER PYRO MCP Travel and Lodging INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Aug 17, 2018 $184 TITAN-SHOULDER REVERSE SHOULDER Travel and Lodging INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
May 10, 2018 $181 FREEDOM WRIST TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM PYRO MCP Travel and Lodging INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Oct 18, 2018 $181 FREEDOM WRIST TITAN-SHOULDER PYRO MCP Travel and Lodging INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Oct 12, 2018 $152 FREEDOM WRIST REVERSE SHOULDER TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES 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/353161

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.