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/45121
  • 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/45121
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.

JEFFREY GUM

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
210 EAST GRAY STREET, LOUISVILLE, KY, 40202-1902

2018 Payments: At a Glance

175

payments

$272,751

payment total

7

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 39 $129K
Royalty or License
 1 $52,364
Promotional Speaking/Other
 7 $49,875
Travel and Lodging
 54 $28,007
Honoraria
 2 $9,150
Food and Beverage
 72 $4,105

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

 $110K
CD HORIZON

device

 $39,962
MAZORX - RENAISSANCE

device

 $32,871
BACS

device

 $25,023
ALIF

device

 $15,606
TLIF

device

 $12,701
SHILLA

device

 $10,437
YUKON OCT SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $9,508
GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION

device

 $8,932
ADVANCED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

 $5,025
EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $1,029
MODULUS

device

 $485
DIVERGENCE-L

device

 $457
XLIF

device

 $313
X-CORE

device

 $126
MPACT

device

 $121
BASE

device

 $110
CLYDESDALE

device

 $96
TLX

device

 $96
MECTA_C

device

 $85
† 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/45121

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
May 25, 2018 $52,364 No Listed Product Royalty or License ACUITY SURGICAL DEVICES, LLC
Oct 25, 2018 $22,000 CD HORIZON Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jul 19, 2018 $10,000 SHILLA Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Sep 18, 2018 $9,750 CD HORIZON Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jun 26, 2018 $9,750 TLIF Consulting NUVASIVE, INC.
Aug 14, 2018 $8,850 YUKON OCT SPINAL SYSTEM Honoraria K2M, INC.
Apr 23, 2018 $8,500 No Listed Product Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Aug 14, 2018 $8,250 No Listed Product Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Dec 11, 2018 $8,000 No Listed Product Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jun 8, 2018 $8,000 MAZORX - RENAISSANCE Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Jan 30, 2018 $8,000 No Listed Product Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Apr 10, 2018 $7,350 BACS Consulting K2M, INC.
Apr 18, 2018 $7,250 MAZORX - RENAISSANCE Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Oct 19, 2018 $6,250 MAZORX - RENAISSANCE Consulting MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Aug 14, 2018 $6,250 No Listed Product Consulting NUVASIVE, INC. Procedural Solutions, LLC
Jan 30, 2018 $5,500 BACS Consulting K2M, INC.
Dec 20, 2018 $5,499 BACS Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 31, 2018 $5,250 BACS Consulting K2M, INC.
Aug 28, 2018 $5,025 ADVANCED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Consulting K2M, INC.
Nov 29, 2018 $4,500 ALIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC. Procedural Solutions, 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/45121

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.