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/413979
  • 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/413979
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.

IVAN MENDOZA

Listed Specialty: Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
3801 BISCAYNE BLVD STE 230, MIAMI, FL, 33137-9800

2018 Payments: At a Glance

143

payments

$12,766

payment total

20

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 132 $6,758
Travel and Lodging
 10 $3,508
Promotional Speaking/Other
 1 $2,500

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†
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $5,943
WATCHMAN

device

 $1,932
MICRA

device

 $747
MYCARELINK

device

 $413
REMEDE SYSTEM

device

 $312
REVEAL LINQ

device

 $311
ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM

device

 $309
SELECTSECURE

device

 $305
AZURE

device

 $289
ELIQUIS

drug

 $284
VISIA AF

device

 $193
MERLIN CONNECTIVITY AND REMOTE

device

 $181
ENTRESTO

drug

 $169
ADVISOR CATHETER

device

 $163
CRT-DS

device

 $159
EMBLEM

device

 $136
ANTHEM CRT PACEMAKER

device

 $116
REPATHA

drug

 $95
VASCULAR CLOSURE DEVICE

device

 $90
QUADRA ASSURA CRT DEFIBRILLATOR

device

 $74
† 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/413979

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Nov 7, 2018 $2,500 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC. Aguilar & Mendoza Md Pa
Apr 20, 2018 $850 WATCHMAN Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Nov 2, 2018 $531 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Feb 24, 2018 $448 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Apr 20, 2018 $373 WATCHMAN Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Apr 21, 2018 $321 WATCHMAN Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Nov 2, 2018 $315 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Aug 7, 2018 $312 REMEDE SYSTEM Food and Beverage RESPICARDIA, INC.
Oct 18, 2018 $305 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Nov 2, 2018 $281 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Aug 26, 2018 $198 SELECTSECURE Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 20, 2018 $195 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
May 8, 2018 $191 MYCARELINK Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 21, 2018 $167 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
May 17, 2018 $163 ADVISOR CATHETER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
May 11, 2018 $161 MICRA Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 29, 2018 $152 REVEAL LINQ Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 11, 2018 $150 VISIA AF Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
May 23, 2018 $148 AZURE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 13, 2018 $136 WATCHMAN 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/413979

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.