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/61458
  • 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/61458
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.


NIRAJ VARMA

Listed Specialty: Internal Medicine
2160 S FIRST AVE, 101-1740 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, MAYWOOD, IL, 60153

2018 Payments: At a Glance

144

payments

$159,546

payment total

9

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
60 $97,078
Travel and Lodging
26 $39,783
Nonaccredited Training
4 $13,600
Promotional Speaking/Other
2 $4,200
Food and Beverage
51 $4,135
Grant
1 $750

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
ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER

device

$35,697
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$31,878
OTHER

device

$17,340
CRM-RESEARCH ONLY

device

$12,800
ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM

device

$12,800
MERLIN CONNECTIVITY AND REMOTE

device

$11,674
QUADRA ASSURA CRT DEFIBRILLATOR

device

$9,090
QUADRA ALLURE MP RF CRT PACEMKR

device

$8,531
PRO-KINETIC ENERGY

device

$6,969
CRT-DS

device

$6,712
CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM

device

$2,268
CARTO 3 SYSTEM

device

$1,571
GENERAL THERAPIES

device

$997
QUARTET CRT LEAD

device

$208
UNIFY ASSURA CRT DEFIBRILLATOR

device

$192
GENERAL EP

device

$125
FORTIFY ASSURA, ELLIPSE ICD

device

$115
ENDURITY PACEMAKER

device

$105
CLARIA MRI

device

$101
LIFEVEST

device

$93
† 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/61458

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Oct 16, 2018 $7,600 OTHER Consulting BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 4, 2018 $6,812 QUADRA ALLURE MP RF CRT PACEMKR Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 1, 2018 $6,412 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Jan 18, 2018 $6,400 CRM-RESEARCH ONLY Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 30, 2018 $6,383 QUADRA ASSURA CRT DEFIBRILLATOR Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Feb 23, 2018 $4,717 CRT-DS Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Oct 23, 2018 $4,300 No Listed Product Nonaccredited Training BIOTRONIK INC.
Jan 3, 2018 $4,300 No Listed Product Nonaccredited Training BIOTRONIK INC.
Dec 5, 2018 $4,000 OTHER Consulting BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 20, 2018 $3,864 ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 20, 2018 $3,864 ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 20, 2018 $3,864 ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 20, 2018 $3,623 ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 24, 2018 $3,558 PRO-KINETIC ENERGY Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Apr 24, 2018 $3,411 PRO-KINETIC ENERGY Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Mar 1, 2018 $3,200 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 1, 2018 $3,200 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 1, 2018 $3,200 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 1, 2018 $3,000 ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 6, 2018 $2,898 ALLURE QUADRA RF CRT PACEMAKER Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES

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/61458

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.