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/41277
  • 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/41277
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.


ADAM LIPSON

Listed Specialty: Neurological Surgery
1057 COMMERCE AVE, UNION, NJ, 07083-5025

2018 Payments: At a Glance

95

payments

$48,894

payment total

17

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
6 $31,778
Travel and Lodging
18 $14,993
Food and Beverage
71 $2,123

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
TRITANIUM

device

$14,352
VIPER

device

$11,008
ES2

device

$8,811
AERO

device

$5,250
SERRATO

device

$5,000
MAKO

device

$2,244
ALIF PLATE

device

$1,523
CONCORDE

device

$1,172
BENGAL

device

$1,129
DURAMATRIX

device

$500
NEUROMATRIX

device

$500
XIA

device

$429
ARIA

device

$325
IVS - VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION PRODUCTS

device

$296
COFLEX

device

$258
SENZA SPINAL CORD STIMULATION SYSTEM

device

$228
PROCLAIM FAMILY OF SCS IPGS

device

$170
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$147
OASYS

device

$130
IVS - CORTOSS

device

$130
† 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/41277

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Apr 5, 2018 $11,250 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION ACCEL BRAIN & SPINE LLC
Nov 11, 2018 $8,148 ES2 Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 23, 2018 $7,211 VIPER Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Dec 13, 2018 $5,250 AERO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION ACCEL BRAIN & SPINE LLC
Aug 29, 2018 $5,000 SERRATO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION ACCEL BRAIN & SPINE LLC
Jul 17, 2018 $2,568 VIPER Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Mar 20, 2018 $2,244 TRITANIUM MAKO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 16, 2018 $1,185 ALIF PLATE Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 7, 2018 $687 BENGAL CONCORDE VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Nov 11, 2018 $500 ES2 Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Oct 11, 2018 $500 NEUROMATRIX DURAMATRIX Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION ACCEL BRAIN & SPINE LLC
Nov 16, 2018 $338 ALIF PLATE Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 7, 2018 $296 IVS - VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION PRODUCTS Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 6, 2018 $278 TRITANIUM XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 23, 2018 $258 COFLEX Food and Beverage PARADIGM SPINE, LLC
May 18, 2018 $219 BENGAL CONCORDE VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Aug 8, 2018 $202 ARIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 23, 2018 $199 BENGAL CONCORDE VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Mar 6, 2018 $151 TRITANIUM XIA Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Mar 25, 2018 $140 TRITANIUM Travel and Lodging STRYKER 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/41277

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.