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/4223528
  • 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/4223528
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.

GABRIEL MERLIN

Listed Specialty: Hand Surgery
169 WOODCLIFF RD, NEWTON, MA, 02461-1838

2018 Payments: At a Glance

35

payments

$3,112

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 34 $2,727
Education
 1 $385

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†
EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM

device

 $487
FREEDOM WRIST

device

 $487
PYRO MCP

device

 $487
TITAN-SHOULDER

device

 $487
TSSM - TOTAL SHOULDER SYSTEM METAL

device

 $487
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $385
AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR

device

 $285
AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR

device

 $285
VARIAX

device

 $268
ACUTRAK HEADLESS COMPRESSION SCREW SYSTEM

device

 $266
ANATOMIC RADIAL HEAD SYSTEM

device

 $266
ACU-LOC WRIST PLATING SYSTEM

device

 $257
ELBOW PLATING SYSTEM

device

 $234
ALPS HAND

device

 $149
SMR

device

 $148
ALLOWRAP

device

 $146
NEURAGEN

device

 $141
TENOGLIDE

device

 $141
CHECKPOINT STIMULATORS

device

 $126
ANGLED BLADE PLATES

device

 $123
† 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/4223528

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Nov 1, 2018 $385 No Listed Product Education MEDWEST ASSOCIATES
Dec 11, 2018 $148 SMR Food and Beverage LIMA USA, INC.
Nov 7, 2018 $146 ALLOWRAP Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jan 16, 2018 $145 ANATOMIC RADIAL HEAD SYSTEM ACU-LOC WRIST PLATING SYSTEM ACUTRAK HEADLESS COMPRESSION SCREW SYSTEM Food and Beverage ACUMED LLC
Jan 2, 2018 $144 VARIAX Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
May 22, 2018 $128 FREEDOM WRIST PYRO MCP TSSM - TOTAL SHOULDER SYSTEM METAL TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Jan 10, 2018 $128 FREEDOM WRIST PYRO MCP TSSM - TOTAL SHOULDER SYSTEM METAL TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Jun 26, 2018 $125 ALPS HAND Food and Beverage ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Nov 12, 2018 $123 ANGLED BLADE PLATES HEADLESS COMPRESSION SCREWS Food and Beverage DEPUY SYNTHES SALES INC.
Jan 30, 2018 $123 AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR Food and Beverage AXOGEN
Jul 25, 2018 $122 ANATOMIC RADIAL HEAD SYSTEM ACUTRAK HEADLESS COMPRESSION SCREW SYSTEM ELBOW PLATING SYSTEM Food and Beverage ACUMED LLC
Sep 13, 2018 $118 FREEDOM WRIST PYRO MCP TSSM - TOTAL SHOULDER SYSTEM METAL TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Dec 4, 2018 $113 GEMINUS ALIGN IJS IMPLATE Food and Beverage SKELETAL DYNAMICS LLC
May 8, 2018 $112 MODULAR HAND SYSTEM ACU-LOC WRIST PLATING SYSTEM ELBOW PLATING SYSTEM Food and Beverage ACUMED LLC
Aug 1, 2018 $107 NEURAGEN TENOGLIDE Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Feb 20, 2018 $102 VARIAX Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
May 11, 2018 $92 AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR Food and Beverage AXOGEN
Jul 5, 2018 $82 EXT-EXTREMILOCK ANKLE Food and Beverage OSTEOMED LLC
Feb 12, 2018 $82 ACU-LOC/ACU-LOC 2 WRIST PLATING SYSTEM ACUTRAK/ACUTRAK 2 SCREWS - MICRO, MINI, STD, FUSION Food and Beverage ACUMED LLC
Sep 12, 2018 $78 FREEDOM WRIST PYRO MCP TSSM - TOTAL SHOULDER SYSTEM METAL TITAN-SHOULDER EXTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES 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/4223528

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.