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/39780
  • 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/39780
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.

PHILLIP KRAVETZ

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
1720 MURCHISON DR, EL PASO, TX, 79902-0329

2018 Payments: At a Glance

47

payments

$29,857

payment total

10

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 4 $9,155
Consulting
 3 $8,438
Travel and Lodging
 10 $5,395
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $4,700
Food and Beverage
 28 $2,168

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†
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $9,247
VAULT 2

device

 $6,281
MIS

device

 $5,000
PERCUTANEOUS SCREW SYSTEM

device

 $3,438
MULTIPLE PRODUCTS

device

 $1,666
AERO

device

 $1,458
ARIA

device

 $1,400
TRITANIUM

device

 $825
ES2

device

 $718
VAULT C

device

 $492
ACCULIF

device

 $356
COFLEX

device

 $200
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

 $192
NSE - CUTTING ACCESSORIES

device

 $150
OTHER - MISCELLANEOUS

device

 $136
ADAPTIVESTIM

device

 $111
SYNCHROMED

device

 $70
SPINAL IMPLANTS

device

 $60
NONE

device

 $59
LUCEMYRA

drug

 $55
† 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/39780

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 4, 2018 $5,000 MIS Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Jul 5, 2018 $4,500 VAULT 2 Promotional Speaking/Other PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Jan 4, 2018 $3,375 PERCUTANEOUS SCREW SYSTEM Consulting PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Aug 13, 2018 $2,568 No Listed Product Royalty or License ORTHOFIX MEDICAL, INC.
May 10, 2018 $2,480 No Listed Product Royalty or License ORTHOFIX MEDICAL, INC.
Feb 12, 2018 $2,193 No Listed Product Royalty or License ORTHOFIX MEDICAL, INC.
Nov 13, 2018 $1,914 No Listed Product Royalty or License ORTHOFIX MEDICAL, INC.
Jul 5, 2018 $1,745 VAULT 2 Travel and Lodging PRECISION SPINE, INC.
Jul 11, 2018 $705 AERO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 29, 2018 $705 ES2 ARIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Oct 10, 2018 $685 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
Oct 27, 2018 $547 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC
May 23, 2018 $445 TRITANIUM ARIA AERO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 23, 2018 $250 TRITANIUM ARIA AERO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 13, 2018 $200 COFLEX Promotional Speaking/Other PARADIGM SPINE, LLC
Jun 1, 2018 $166 ACCULIF Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 27, 2018 $150 NSE - CUTTING ACCESSORIES Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 31, 2018 $149 NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 22, 2018 $149 ACCULIF Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Oct 26, 2018 $144 MULTIPLE PRODUCTS Travel and Lodging ALPHATEC SPINE, INC

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/39780

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.