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/357634
  • 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/357634
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.

ROBERT RUELAZ

Listed Specialty: Cardiovascular Disease
4525 E CESAR E CHAVEZ AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA, 90022-1116

2018 Payments: At a Glance

47

payments

$4,155

payment total

7

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 2 $2,555
Food and Beverage
 45 $1,600

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†
CONNECTIVITY AND REMOTE CARE

device

 $2,555
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $340
QUADRA ALLURE MP RF CRT PACEMKR

device

 $178
DURATA DEFIBRILLATION ICD LEAD

device

 $149
SUREFIX

device

 $129
CONFIRM RX

device

 $116
CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM

device

 $106
OPTISURE DEFIBRILLATION ICD LEAD

device

 $102
EMBLEM

device

 $101
ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER

device

 $76
MRI READY LEADS

device

 $71
FORTIFY ASSURA, ELLIPSE ICD

device

 $70
QUICKFLEX MICRO 2 CRT LEAD

device

 $34
ENDURITY PACEMAKER

device

 $31
MERLIN CONNECTIVITY AND REMOTE

device

 $18
CHANTIX

drug

 $17
ELIQUIS

drug

 $17
QUARTET CRT LEAD

device

 $17
REVEAL LINQ

device

 $16
IPRO2

device

 $16
† 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/357634

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 25, 2018 $1,825 CONNECTIVITY AND REMOTE CARE Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jan 25, 2018 $730 CONNECTIVITY AND REMOTE CARE Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Dec 16, 2018 $178 QUADRA ALLURE MP RF CRT PACEMKR Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Aug 5, 2018 $149 DURATA DEFIBRILLATION ICD LEAD Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 7, 2018 $129 SUREFIX Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 29, 2018 $128 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Dec 29, 2018 $116 CONFIRM RX Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jun 4, 2018 $106 CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 16, 2018 $71 MRI READY LEADS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Aug 19, 2018 $66 EMBLEM Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Aug 3, 2018 $54 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
May 23, 2018 $47 OPTISURE DEFIBRILLATION ICD LEAD Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 18, 2018 $43 OPTISURE DEFIBRILLATION ICD LEAD Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 26, 2018 $36 EMBLEM Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
May 23, 2018 $34 ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jun 4, 2018 $33 FORTIFY ASSURA, ELLIPSE ICD Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 13, 2018 $31 ENDURITY PACEMAKER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 1, 2018 $23 ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 21, 2018 $22 QUICKFLEX MICRO 2 CRT LEAD Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 13, 2018 $21 FORTIFY ASSURA, ELLIPSE ICD Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES

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/357634

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.