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/55016
  • 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/55016
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.

REX MARCO

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
6550 FANNIN ST, SUITE 2600, HOUSTON, TX, 77030-2717

2018 Payments: At a Glance

70

payments

$49,030

payment total

9

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 6 $40,023
Travel and Lodging
 10 $4,538
Food and Beverage
 51 $4,424
Education
 3 $46

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†
EXPEDIUM

device

 $29,448
SYNAPSE

device

 $18,628
AERO

device

 $16,106
ARIA

device

 $16,106
ES2

device

 $16,106
OASYS

device

 $16,106
XIA

device

 $16,106
NAVIGATION

device

 $8,255
VIPER

device

 $1,732
COUGAR

device

 $1,133
COHERE

device

 $700
PIPELINE

device

 $681
SPOTLIGHT

device

 $681
MATRIX

device

 $603
LESSRAY

device

 $435
IGA

device

 $410
RELINE

device

 $323
OSTEOCEL

device

 $303
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $273
ACIS

device

 $244
† 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/55016

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Dec 13, 2018 $13,500 AERO ARIA XIA OASYS ES2 Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION
Aug 29, 2018 $8,240 EXPEDIUM NAVIGATION Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jan 8, 2018 $8,240 EXPEDIUM SYNAPSE Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Sep 3, 2018 $7,983 EXPEDIUM SYNAPSE Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Sep 13, 2018 $1,978 AERO ARIA XIA OASYS ES2 Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Apr 25, 2018 $1,030 EXPEDIUM SYNAPSE Consulting MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Apr 25, 2018 $1,030 EXPEDIUM SYNAPSE Consulting DEPUY SYNTHES PRODUCTS LLC
Jul 20, 2018 $591 EXPEDIUM VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Nov 19, 2018 $470 COUGAR PIPELINE SPOTLIGHT Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jul 20, 2018 $377 EXPEDIUM VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Nov 15, 2018 $315 AERO ARIA XIA OASYS ES2 Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Jul 20, 2018 $279 EXPEDIUM VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Dec 14, 2018 $211 COUGAR SPOTLIGHT PIPELINE Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Oct 17, 2018 $162 COHERE OSTEOCEL LESSRAY MODULUS Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Apr 19, 2018 $146 GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION Food and Beverage K2M, INC.
Mar 14, 2018 $145 TRITANIUM Food and Beverage STRYKER CORPORATION
Jun 6, 2018 $144 COHERE Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Dec 5, 2018 $144 IGA Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Apr 25, 2018 $142 IGA LESSRAY BENDINI Food and Beverage NUVASIVE, INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $142 SERRATO Food and Beverage STRYKER 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/55016

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.