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/42136
  • 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/42136
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.


GEOFFREY WESTRICH

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
535 E 70TH ST, NEW YORK, NY, 10021-4872

2018 Payments: At a Glance

179

payments

$987,774

payment total

5

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
4 $526K
Consulting
23 $430K
Travel and Lodging
81 $17,755
Promotional Speaking/Other
2 $9,620
Food and Beverage
68 $4,580
Education
1 $8

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
TRIDENT

device

$555K
TRIATHLON

device

$414K
ACCOLADE

device

$412K
OPTETRAK

device

$206K
TRULIANT

device

$137K
MAKO

device

$56,141
OFIRMEV

drug

$9,924
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$2,996
STAR

device

$2,446
TRITANIUM

device

$1,638
REJUVENATE

device

$650
LUHR MODULAR

device

$650
EQUINOXE

device

$608
AQUAMANTYS

device

$390
NO PRODUCT

drug

$164
GMRS

device

$69
DUEXIS

drug

$42
† 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.

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Feb 14, 2018 $136,710 ACCOLADE TRIATHLON TRIDENT Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 14, 2018 $132,827 ACCOLADE TRIATHLON TRIDENT Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
May 14, 2018 $131,108 TRIDENT Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 14, 2018 $124,958 ACCOLADE TRIDENT TRIATHLON Royalty or License STRYKER CORPORATION
Jan 31, 2018 $72,500 TRULIANT Consulting EXACTECH, INC.
Apr 26, 2018 $64,000 TRULIANT Consulting EXACTECH, INC.
Sep 30, 2018 $59,500 OPTETRAK Consulting EXACTECH, INC.
Dec 31, 2018 $52,750 OPTETRAK Consulting EXACTECH, INC.
Apr 1, 2018 $40,000 OPTETRAK Consulting EXACTECH, INC.
Jun 26, 2018 $22,500 OPTETRAK Consulting EXACTECH, INC.
Sep 28, 2018 $18,750 OPTETRAK Consulting EXACTECH, INC.
Mar 8, 2018 $16,413 TRIDENT ACCOLADE Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 20, 2018 $15,600 TRIATHLON Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 7, 2018 $15,600 MAKO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 7, 2018 $13,000 MAKO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 6, 2018 $13,000 MAKO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 7, 2018 $7,250 OPTETRAK Consulting EXACTECH, INC.
Apr 5, 2018 $6,500 TRIDENT Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Feb 12, 2018 $4,810 OFIRMEV Promotional Speaking/Other MALLINCKRODT LLC
Jul 23, 2018 $4,810 OFIRMEV Promotional Speaking/Other MALLINCKRODT LLC

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/42136

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.