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/39627
  • 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/39627
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.

ALEXANDER CHEN

Listed Specialty: Pulmonary Disease
4921 PARKVIEW PL, STE 8B, SAINT LOUIS, MO, 63110-1032

2018 Payments: At a Glance

215

payments

$128,060

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Education
 44 $71,600
Consulting
 24 $36,378
Travel and Lodging
 70 $11,555
Promotional Speaking/Other
 4 $4,638
Food and Beverage
 73 $3,890

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 RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES

device

 $96,871
OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES

device

 $94,280
OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES

device

 $78,297
OLYMPUS BRONCHOSCOPES

device

 $27,062
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $12,928
OLYMPUS UNIVERSAL ULTRASOUND PROCESSOR

device

 $10,166
OLYMPUS GI STRICTURE DEVICES

device

 $8,940
MONARCH

device

 $8,469
EVIS EXERA

device

 $5,602
GENERAL THERAPIES

device

 $3,600
GENERAL BRONCHIAL THERMOPLASTY

device

 $1,400
DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

 $1,163
THERAPIES

device

 $644
SPIRATION VALVE SYSTEM

device

 $461
GENERAL PULMONARY

device

 $442
SPIN

device

 $316
OLYMPUS EMR & ESD DEVICES

device

 $295
OLYMPUS ENDOTHERAPY ACCESSORIES

device

 $295
OLYMPUS HEMOSTASIS DEVICES

device

 $295
ALAIR

device

 $102
† 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/39627

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Sep 11, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Feb 21, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Mar 20, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Sep 7, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Jan 25, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
May 17, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Sep 21, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS GI STRICTURE DEVICES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Mar 20, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Consulting OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
May 1, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS UNIVERSAL ULTRASOUND PROCESSOR Consulting OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
May 17, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Jan 25, 2018 $3,520 OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Mar 9, 2018 $3,300 OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Feb 2, 2018 $3,080 No Listed Product Consulting SPIRATION, INC.
May 17, 2018 $2,600 MONARCH Consulting AURIS HEALTH, INC.
Jun 21, 2018 $2,400 GENERAL THERAPIES Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
May 1, 2018 $2,200 OLYMPUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS UNIVERSAL ULTRASOUND PROCESSOR Consulting OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
Mar 9, 2018 $1,840 OLYMPUS BRONCHOSCOPES EVIS EXERA OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Mar 9, 2018 $1,840 OLYMPUS BRONCHOSCOPES EVIS EXERA OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Jun 28, 2018 $1,840 OLYMPUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS
Apr 23, 2018 $1,840 OLYMPUS BRONCHOSCOPES EVIS EXERA OLYMPUS CAPITAL ACCESSORIES OLYMPUS EBUS BRONCHOSCOPES OLYMPUS RESPIRATORY ACCESSORIES Education OLYMPUS CORPORATION OF THE AMERICAS

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/39627

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.