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/70978
  • 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/70978
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.


MARK RICHARDS

Listed Specialty: Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
2940 N MCCORD RD, TOLEDO, OH, 43615-1753

2018 Payments: At a Glance

114

payments

$90,210

payment total

11

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Promotional Speaking/Other
14 $45,710
Consulting
11 $24,748
Travel and Lodging
29 $8,412
Nonaccredited Training
2 $5,000
Food and Beverage
56 $3,777
Honoraria
1 $2,500
Education
1 $63

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
XARELTO

drug

$36,180
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$16,218
OSTIAL PRO STENT POSITIONING SYSTEM

device

$9,200
GENERAL THERAPIES

device

$7,906
WATCHMAN

device

$5,361
NO ASSOCIATED PRODUCT

device

$5,348
VASCULAR CLOSURE DEVICE

device

$3,256
THERAPIES

device

$2,214
ENSITE CARDIAC MAPPING SYSTEM

device

$1,395
EMBLEM

device

$790
CRM-RESEARCH ONLY

device

$342
REVEAL LINQ

device

$327
RHYTHMIA

device

$279
SENTUS

device

$231
CRYOCONSOLE

device

$197
QUADRA ASSURA CRT DEFIBRILLATOR

device

$167
ENSITE VELOCITY SYSTEM MAPPING DISPOSABLES

device

$157
LATITUDE

device

$144
AMPLIA MRI

device

$132
ARCTIC FRONT

device

$106
† 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/70978

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Apr 2, 2018 $10,260 XARELTO Promotional Speaking/Other JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC Mark Richards, PhD, MA, LLC
Apr 25, 2018 $5,000 WATCHMAN Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 2, 2018 $4,400 OSTIAL PRO STENT POSITIONING SYSTEM Consulting MERIT MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC
Mar 27, 2018 $3,850 GENERAL THERAPIES Consulting BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jun 6, 2018 $3,800 XARELTO Promotional Speaking/Other JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Oct 24, 2018 $3,800 XARELTO Promotional Speaking/Other JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Jun 6, 2018 $3,800 XARELTO Promotional Speaking/Other JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Aug 29, 2018 $3,800 XARELTO Promotional Speaking/Other JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Sep 2, 2018 $3,600 OSTIAL PRO STENT POSITIONING SYSTEM Consulting MERIT MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC
Aug 31, 2018 $3,600 No Listed Product Consulting MERIT MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC
Jul 25, 2018 $3,500 GENERAL THERAPIES Promotional Speaking/Other BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Dec 12, 2018 $3,300 XARELTO Promotional Speaking/Other JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Aug 8, 2018 $3,300 XARELTO Promotional Speaking/Other JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Jun 13, 2018 $3,000 No Listed Product Nonaccredited Training BIOTRONIK INC.
Sep 25, 2018 $2,500 VASCULAR CLOSURE DEVICE Honoraria CARDIVA MEDICAL, INC.
May 12, 2018 $2,400 No Listed Product Consulting MERIT MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC
Feb 9, 2018 $2,300 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC. Mark Richards Phd Md Llc Mark Richards
Jan 3, 2018 $2,000 No Listed Product Nonaccredited Training BIOTRONIK INC.
Jan 26, 2018 $1,800 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC. Mark Richards Phd Md Llc Mark Richards
Sep 27, 2018 $1,528 NO ASSOCIATED PRODUCT 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/70978

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.