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/635793
  • 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/635793
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.

SUNIL PUROHIT

Listed Specialty: Urology
71207 HIGHWAY 21, COVINGTON, LA, 70433-7121

2018 Payments: At a Glance

105

payments

$5,546

payment total

18

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 92 $3,702
Travel and Lodging
 9 $1,535
Education
 4 $308

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†
UROLIFT

device

 $2,780
AMS

device

 $738
ERLEADA

drug

 $310
XTANDI

drug

 $188
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $186
MYRBETRIQ

drug

 $183
RETRACE

device

 $162
SHOCKPULSE - SE

device

 $138
INTERSTIM

device

 $136
DORMIA NO-TIP

device

 $126
BOTOX

drug

 $108
COOK MEDICAL STENTS

device

 $84
TOVIAZ

drug

 $83
TITAN

device

 $66
ADVANCE

device

 $54
AMBICOR

device

 $37
ELIGARD

drug

 $34
AXIS

drug

 $28
CYSVIEW

drug

 $27
CERTUS 140 MICROWAVE ABLATION SYSTEM

device

 $27
† 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/635793

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Oct 30, 2018 $371 UROLIFT Travel and Lodging NEOTRACT INC.
Aug 23, 2018 $295 AMS Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 6, 2018 $218 UROLIFT Travel and Lodging NEOTRACT INC.
Oct 1, 2018 $182 UROLIFT Travel and Lodging NEOTRACT INC.
Oct 1, 2018 $180 UROLIFT Travel and Lodging NEOTRACT INC.
May 20, 2018 $176 UROLIFT Food and Beverage NEOTRACT INC.
May 22, 2018 $162 RETRACE Education COLOPLAST CORP
Sep 12, 2018 $149 UROLIFT Food and Beverage NEOTRACT INC.
May 19, 2018 $138 SHOCKPULSE - SE Food and Beverage OLYMPUS AMERICA INC.
May 18, 2018 $132 AMS Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Mar 23, 2018 $131 UROLIFT Food and Beverage NEOTRACT INC.
Apr 5, 2018 $125 UROLIFT Food and Beverage NEOTRACT INC.
Mar 1, 2018 $125 ERLEADA Food and Beverage JANSSEN SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS, LLC
Mar 12, 2018 $123 AMS Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jun 13, 2018 $117 ERLEADA Food and Beverage JANSSEN SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS, LLC
Nov 2, 2018 $116 UROLIFT Food and Beverage NEOTRACT INC.
Mar 14, 2018 $105 UROLIFT Food and Beverage NEOTRACT INC.
Apr 14, 2018 $101 UROLIFT Food and Beverage NEOTRACT INC.
Aug 2, 2018 $100 No Listed Product Education ASTELLAS PHARMA US INC
May 19, 2018 $98 DORMIA NO-TIP Food and Beverage COLOPLAST CORP

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/635793

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.