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/43029
  • 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/43029
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.

CHARLES MELTON

Listed Specialty: Podiatrist, Foot & Ankle Surgery
1804 NE LOOP 410, SUITE 200, SAN ANTONIO, TX, 78217-5211

2018 Payments: At a Glance

30

payments

$973

payment total

11

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 29 $957
Education
 1 $17

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†
ANCHORAGE

device

 $214
TWO STEP

device

 $192
HOFFMANN

device

 $169
REGRANEX

drug

 $124
ALLOGRAFT

device

 $115
PROLAYER

device

 $115
SONICANCHOR

device

 $115
BIO4

device

 $99
EASY CLIP

device

 $99
RAYOS

drug

 $93
BIOLOGICS

device

 $91
ALLOWRAP

device

 $70
ASNIS

device

 $70
HTR

device

 $68
HEADLESS LARGE CANNULATED SCREWS

device

 $59
SANTYL

drug

 $51
AMNIOEXCEL

device

 $48
NAFTIN

drug

 $35
BAXDELA

drug

 $26
ORBACTIV

drug

 $26
† 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/43029

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Aug 28, 2018 $124 REGRANEX Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
May 8, 2018 $115 ALLOGRAFT PROLAYER ANCHORAGE SONICANCHOR Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 21, 2018 $99 ANCHORAGE HOFFMANN EASY CLIP BIO4 Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 3, 2018 $92 TWO STEP Food and Beverage TRILLIANT SURGICAL LLC.
Feb 21, 2018 $70 ASNIS HOFFMANN ALLOWRAP Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 8, 2018 $68 HTR TWO STEP Food and Beverage TRILLIANT SURGICAL LLC.
Nov 5, 2018 $34 HEADLESS LARGE CANNULATED SCREWS BIOLOGICS Food and Beverage TRILLIANT SURGICAL LLC.
Oct 12, 2018 $32 TWO STEP BIOLOGICS Food and Beverage TRILLIANT SURGICAL LLC.
Jul 12, 2018 $26 BAXDELA VABOMERE ORBACTIV MENOCIN Food and Beverage MELINTA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
Aug 2, 2018 $26 BILAYER WOUND MATRIX BWM INTEGRA WOUND MATRIX IWM AMNIOEXCEL IDRT FLOWABLE Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Feb 27, 2018 $22 OMNIGRAFT PRIMATRIX MEDIHONEY TCC-EZ AMNIOEXCEL Food and Beverage INTEGRA LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
May 30, 2018 $21 RAYOS Food and Beverage HORIZON PHARMA PLC
Oct 8, 2018 $20 RAYOS Food and Beverage HORIZON PHARMA PLC
Jun 20, 2018 $20 AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR Food and Beverage AXOGEN
May 18, 2018 $19 NAFTIN Food and Beverage SEBELA PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
Aug 22, 2018 $18 RAYOS Food and Beverage HORIZON PHARMA PLC
Jun 22, 2018 $17 RAYOS Food and Beverage HORIZON PHARMA PLC
Jul 30, 2018 $17 RAYOS Food and Beverage HORIZON PHARMA PLC
Sep 10, 2018 $17 BIOMET ORTHOPAK Education ZIMMER BIOMET HOLDINGS, INC.
Jul 16, 2018 $16 NAFTIN Food and Beverage SEBELA PHARMACEUTICALS 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/43029

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.