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/55878
  • 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/55878
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.

DAVID MEGO

Listed Specialty: Cardiovascular Disease
7 SHACKLEFORD WEST BLVD, LITTLE ROCK, AR, 72211-3714

2018 Payments: At a Glance

56

payments

$17,219

payment total

13

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
 7 $14,000
Food and Beverage
 42 $2,354
Travel and Lodging
 2 $859
Education
 5 $6

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†
TR BAND

device

 $14,137
GLIDESHEATH

device

 $14,019
HEARTRAIL

device

 $14,019
OPTITORQUE

device

 $14,019
AMPLATZER OCCLUDERS

device

 $980
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $697
COREVALVE EVOLUT

device

 $301
MITRA CLIP SYSTEM

device

 $163
GENERAL VASCULAR ACCESS

device

 $146
XARELTO

drug

 $130
KENGREAL

drug

 $125
COOK MEDICAL ZILVER PTX

device

 $96
WATCHMAN

device

 $94
CROSSBOSS

device

 $75
SYNERGY

device

 $74
NAVICROSS

device

 $70
EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE

device

 $59
ENTRESTO

drug

 $27
FLOSEAL

drug

 $23
EKOSONIC

device

 $23
† 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.

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jun 27, 2018 $3,500 OPTITORQUE HEARTRAIL TR BAND GLIDESHEATH Consulting TERUMO MEDICAL CORPORATION
Oct 10, 2018 $3,000 OPTITORQUE HEARTRAIL TR BAND GLIDESHEATH Consulting TERUMO MEDICAL CORPORATION
Oct 16, 2018 $1,500 OPTITORQUE HEARTRAIL TR BAND GLIDESHEATH Consulting TERUMO MEDICAL CORPORATION
Mar 28, 2018 $1,500 OPTITORQUE HEARTRAIL TR BAND GLIDESHEATH Consulting TERUMO MEDICAL CORPORATION
Jul 27, 2018 $1,500 OPTITORQUE HEARTRAIL TR BAND GLIDESHEATH Consulting TERUMO MEDICAL CORPORATION
Dec 5, 2018 $1,500 OPTITORQUE HEARTRAIL TR BAND GLIDESHEATH Consulting TERUMO MEDICAL CORPORATION
Feb 27, 2018 $1,500 OPTITORQUE HEARTRAIL TR BAND GLIDESHEATH Consulting TERUMO MEDICAL CORPORATION
Oct 17, 2018 $851 AMPLATZER OCCLUDERS Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 13, 2018 $416 No Listed Product Food and Beverage CELONOVA BIOSCIENCES, INC.
Jan 23, 2018 $130 COREVALVE EVOLUT Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Mar 2, 2018 $123 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Oct 27, 2018 $121 AMPLATZER OCCLUDERS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Nov 1, 2018 $119 KENGREAL Food and Beverage CHIESI USA, INC.
May 30, 2018 $109 No Listed Product Food and Beverage TERUMO MEDICAL CORPORATION
Jan 9, 2018 $105 No Listed Product Food and Beverage EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Sep 25, 2018 $96 COOK MEDICAL ZILVER PTX Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Feb 12, 2018 $92 COREVALVE EVOLUT Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 23, 2018 $90 GENERAL VASCULAR ACCESS Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Nov 8, 2018 $84 XARELTO Food and Beverage JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Jan 18, 2018 $80 WATCHMAN Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC 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/55878

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.