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/360958
  • 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/360958
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.

SAMMY HO

Listed Specialty: Gastroenterology
MMC - DEPT. OF MEDICINE, 3400 BAINBRIDGE AVENUE, BRONX, NY, 10467

2018 Payments: At a Glance

113

payments

$19,129

payment total

14

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Education
 3 $5,185
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $3,938
Consulting
 3 $3,850
Food and Beverage
 102 $3,654
Travel and Lodging
 3 $2,502

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†
COOK MEDICAL HEMOSPRAY

device

 $4,668
AXIOS

device

 $2,665
COOK MEDICAL ENDOSCOPY

device

 $2,500
ALL PRODUCTS

device

 $1,500
DREAMWIRE

device

 $1,500
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $1,379
OVERSTITCH

device

 $1,307
ESOPHYX

device

 $1,130
COOK MEDICAL ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND

device

 $708
CREON

drug

 $373
CONMED BILIARY

device

 $264
ORBERA

device

 $246
COOK MEDICAL BILIARY

device

 $241
COOK MEDICAL HEMOSTASIS

device

 $234
OLYMPUS EMR & ESD DEVICES

device

 $126
WALLFLEX

device

 $123
BEACON

device

 $120
EVIS EXERA

device

 $72
VIABIL BILIARY ENDOPROSTHESIS

device

 $53
CONMED HEMOSTASIS

device

 $33
† 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/360958

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Dec 21, 2018 $2,650 COOK MEDICAL HEMOSPRAY Education WILSON COOK MEDICAL INCORPORATED
Jun 11, 2018 $2,500 COOK MEDICAL ENDOSCOPY Education WILSON COOK MEDICAL INCORPORATED
Nov 28, 2018 $2,438 AXIOS Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION SAMMY HO LLC
Oct 16, 2018 $1,750 COOK MEDICAL HEMOSPRAY Consulting WILSON COOK MEDICAL INCORPORATED
Jun 3, 2018 $1,500 ALL PRODUCTS Consulting MICRO-TECH ENDOSCOPY USA, INC.
Jan 10, 2018 $1,500 DREAMWIRE Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION SAMMY HO LLC
Jun 1, 2018 $1,061 OVERSTITCH Travel and Lodging APOLLO ENDOSURGERY US INC
Nov 29, 2018 $802 ESOPHYX Travel and Lodging ENDOGASTRIC SOLUTIONS, INC
Apr 30, 2018 $639 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging WILSON COOK MEDICAL INCORPORATED
Oct 2, 2018 $600 COOK MEDICAL ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND Consulting WILSON COOK MEDICAL INCORPORATED
Feb 28, 2018 $194 CONMED BILIARY Food and Beverage CONMED CORPORATION
Jun 4, 2018 $154 COOK MEDICAL HEMOSPRAY Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Nov 14, 2018 $148 No Listed Product Food and Beverage PENTAX OF AMERICA, INC.
Oct 31, 2018 $146 No Listed Product Food and Beverage PENTAX OF AMERICA, INC.
Dec 14, 2018 $138 No Listed Product Food and Beverage PENTAX OF AMERICA, INC.
Nov 29, 2018 $135 CREON Food and Beverage ABBVIE, INC.
Oct 23, 2018 $134 ESOPHYX Food and Beverage ENDOGASTRIC SOLUTIONS, INC
Oct 8, 2018 $125 ESOPHYX Food and Beverage ENDOGASTRIC SOLUTIONS, INC
Aug 9, 2018 $124 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ABBVIE, INC.
Oct 18, 2018 $123 WALLFLEX 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/360958

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.