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/363200
  • 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/363200
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.

WAYNE NELSON

Listed Specialty: Vascular Surgery
1501 NE MEDICAL CENTER DR, BEND, OR, 97701-6051

2018 Payments: At a Glance

96

payments

$9,846

payment total

17

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 83 $3,104
Consulting
 2 $3,000
Travel and Lodging
 10 $2,242
Nonaccredited Training
 1 $1,500

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 AAA

device

 $4,241
COOK MEDICAL ZENITH

device

 $1,500
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $1,241
COOK MEDICAL ADVANCED TECH

device

 $514
OVATION

device

 $313
EXCLUDER ILIAC BRANCH ENDOPROSTHESIS

device

 $274
RELAY PLUS

device

 $179
TOURGUIDE

device

 $143
XLIF

device

 $133
IGT_D PERIPHERAL

device

 $117
ENDURANT

device

 $110
JETSTREAM

device

 $102
HAWKONE

device

 $91
GENERAL ATHERECTOMY

device

 $88
COOK MEDICAL THORACIC

device

 $84
GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION

device

 $81
METACROSS

device

 $70
GENERAL ANGIOGRAPHY

device

 $66
EXCLUDER AAA ENDOPROSTHESIS

device

 $63
COOK MEDICAL CUSTOM MADE DEVICE

device

 $47
† 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/363200

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Oct 22, 2018 $1,500 COOK MEDICAL AAA Consulting COOK INCORPORATED
May 1, 2018 $1,500 COOK MEDICAL AAA Nonaccredited Training COOK INCORPORATED WAYNE NELSON, MD LLC
Oct 2, 2018 $1,500 COOK MEDICAL ZENITH Consulting COOK INCORPORATED
May 1, 2018 $661 COOK MEDICAL AAA Travel and Lodging COOK INCORPORATED WAYNE NELSON, MD LLC
May 8, 2018 $658 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
May 1, 2018 $530 COOK MEDICAL AAA Travel and Lodging COOK INCORPORATED WAYNE NELSON, MD LLC
Sep 12, 2018 $179 RELAY PLUS Food and Beverage BOLTON MEDICAL INC
Oct 11, 2018 $146 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BARD PERIPHERAL VASCULAR, INC.
May 30, 2018 $133 XLIF Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Jan 17, 2018 $131 OVATION Food and Beverage ENDOLOGIX, INC.
Mar 12, 2018 $118 COOK MEDICAL ADVANCED TECH Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Mar 15, 2018 $113 EXCLUDER ILIAC BRANCH ENDOPROSTHESIS Food and Beverage W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Dec 7, 2018 $110 ENDURANT Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Aug 14, 2018 $107 EXCLUDER ILIAC BRANCH ENDOPROSTHESIS Food and Beverage W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Jan 9, 2018 $93 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ENDOLOGIX, INC.
Oct 18, 2018 $91 HAWKONE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Oct 18, 2018 $91 TOURGUIDE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 12, 2018 $87 OVATION Food and Beverage ENDOLOGIX, INC.
Jan 23, 2018 $87 COOK MEDICAL ADVANCED TECH Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Jun 6, 2018 $81 GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION 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/363200

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.