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/56726
  • 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/56726
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.

STUART EPSTEIN

Listed Specialty: Allergy
9735 WILSHIRE BLVD, SUITE 121, BEVERLY HILLS, CA, 90212

2018 Payments: At a Glance

128

payments

$9,383

payment total

21

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 116 $4,240
Honoraria
 1 $3,500
Travel and Lodging
 4 $1,422
Education
 7 $221

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†
CUTAQUIQ

drug

 $5,150
DUPIXENT

drug

 $778
XOLAIR

drug

 $708
HIZENTRA

drug

 $532
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $385
FASENRA

drug

 $331
ODACTRA

drug

 $258
ACTIMMUNE

drug

 $233
AUVI-Q

drug

 $124
NUCALA

drug

 $117
ILARIS

drug

 $101
CINQAIR

drug

 $83
CUVITRU

drug

 $71
OCTAGAM

drug

 $61
GAMUNEX-C

drug

 $59
BREO

drug

 $56
EUCRISA

drug

 $55
LONHALA MAGNAIR

drug

 $54
QVAR

drug

 $39
GAMMAGARD

drug

 $33
† 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/56726

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Nov 9, 2018 $3,500 CUTAQUIQ Honoraria OCTAPHARMA USA, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $708 CUTAQUIQ Travel and Lodging OCTAPHARMA USA, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $507 CUTAQUIQ Travel and Lodging OCTAPHARMA USA, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $162 CUTAQUIQ Travel and Lodging OCTAPHARMA USA, INC.
Nov 9, 2018 $148 CUTAQUIQ Food and Beverage OCTAPHARMA USA, INC.
Feb 7, 2018 $140 ODACTRA Food and Beverage ALK-ABELLO, INC
May 8, 2018 $126 ACTIMMUNE Food and Beverage HORIZON PHARMA PLC
Jun 27, 2018 $125 FASENRA Food and Beverage ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS LP
Jun 19, 2018 $120 HIZENTRA Food and Beverage CSL BEHRING
Jun 12, 2018 $118 XOLAIR Food and Beverage GENENTECH, INC.
Oct 1, 2018 $116 DUPIXENT Food and Beverage REGENERON HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Oct 30, 2018 $112 DUPIXENT Food and Beverage REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Nov 5, 2018 $112 DUPIXENT Food and Beverage GENZYME CORPORATION
Jul 3, 2018 $111 DUPIXENT Food and Beverage REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Dec 4, 2018 $109 XOLAIR Food and Beverage GENENTECH, INC.
Aug 30, 2018 $101 ILARIS Food and Beverage NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
Mar 3, 2018 $100 ODACTRA Food and Beverage ALK-ABELLO, INC
Sep 6, 2018 $95 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS LP
Jan 22, 2018 $92 ACTIMMUNE Food and Beverage HORIZON PHARMA PLC
Aug 29, 2018 $89 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ASTRAZENECA PHARMACEUTICALS LP

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/56726

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.