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/52618
  • 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/52618
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.


MICHAEL CHANG

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
1462 S. DOBSON ROAD, SUITE 201, MESA, AZ, 85202

2018 Payments: At a Glance

65

payments

$94,605

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
17 $81,804
Travel and Lodging
14 $10,617
Food and Beverage
34 $2,185

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
TRITANIUM

device

$47,158
MAKO

device

$22,685
SERRATO

device

$20,537
EXPEDIUM

device

$8,001
SPINAL IMPLANTS

device

$2,463
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

device

$347
POSTERIOR FUSION

device

$208
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$181
DBM

device

$129
ES2

device

$122
NAV - NAVSUITE INTEGRATED OR

device

$122
CD HORIZON

device

$114
CREO

device

$106
SYNFIX

device

$106
VIPER

device

$106
STRATAFIX

device

$37
SURGIFLO HEMOSTATIC MATRIX FAMILY OF PRODUCTS

device

$37
COFLEX

device

$33
MAZORX - RENAISSANCE

device

$31
BONE MARROW ASPIRATE CONCENTRATE SYSTEM

device

$30
† 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/52618

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Sep 13, 2018 $28,000 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION MYC CONSULTING LLC
Aug 2, 2018 $16,000 MAKO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION MYC CONSULTING LLC
Dec 20, 2018 $8,500 SERRATO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION MYC CONSULTING LLC
Mar 8, 2018 $7,600 TRITANIUM SERRATO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION MYC CONSULTING LLC
Mar 28, 2018 $5,756 TRITANIUM Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Feb 23, 2018 $5,663 EXPEDIUM Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC. MYC CONSULTING LLC
Feb 22, 2018 $4,750 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION MYC CONSULTING LLC
Jun 7, 2018 $2,060 EXPEDIUM Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC. MYC CONSULTING LLC
Jul 26, 2018 $1,750 MAKO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Nov 12, 2018 $1,565 SERRATO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 26, 2018 $1,500 MAKO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION MYC CONSULTING LLC
Mar 22, 2018 $1,500 MAKO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION MYC CONSULTING LLC
Jun 28, 2018 $1,193 MAKO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 5, 2018 $1,000 SPINAL IMPLANTS Consulting SPINE WAVE, INC.
Nov 29, 2018 $1,000 SERRATO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION MYC CONSULTING LLC
Nov 29, 2018 $1,000 SERRATO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION MYC CONSULTING LLC
Apr 11, 2018 $600 SPINAL IMPLANTS Consulting SPINE WAVE, INC.
Jan 18, 2018 $478 TRITANIUM Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Dec 20, 2018 $445 SERRATO Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION MYC CONSULTING LLC
Jun 13, 2018 $400 SPINAL IMPLANTS Consulting SPINE WAVE, 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/52618

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.