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/76083
  • 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/76083
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.

SERGE TOBIAS

Listed Specialty: Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
2898 LINDEN AVE, LONG BEACH, CA, 90806

2018 Payments: At a Glance

125

payments

$14,162

payment total

26

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $9,150
Food and Beverage
 119 $3,426
Travel and Lodging
 4 $1,586

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†
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $10,642
CARTO 3 SYSTEM

device

 $434
RHYTHMVIEW WORK STATIONS

device

 $222
ELIQUIS

drug

 $219
ATTAIN

device

 $216
XARELTO

drug

 $212
ARCTIC FRONT

device

 $208
SELECTSECURE

device

 $180
REPATHA

drug

 $163
REVEAL LINQ

device

 $161
COOK MEDICAL LEAD MANAGEMENT - LEAD EXTRACTION

device

 $143
PRALUENT

drug

 $130
AZURE

device

 $117
ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM

device

 $102
LIFEVEST

device

 $101
ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION

device

 $94
COOLRAIL LINEAR PEN

device

 $94
GLIDEPATH TAPE

device

 $94
BRILINTA

drug

 $93
CONFIDENSE

device

 $84
† 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/76083

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Apr 26, 2018 $6,000 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 12, 2018 $3,150 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Dec 14, 2018 $845 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 6, 2018 $354 CARTO 3 SYSTEM Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Dec 14, 2018 $245 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Dec 15, 2018 $180 SELECTSECURE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Oct 12, 2018 $144 RHYTHMVIEW WORK STATIONS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jan 30, 2018 $143 COOK MEDICAL LEAD MANAGEMENT - LEAD EXTRACTION Travel and Lodging COOK MEDICAL LLC
Mar 13, 2018 $130 REVEAL LINQ Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Apr 10, 2018 $128 ATTAIN Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Dec 17, 2018 $124 ARCTIC FRONT Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Dec 15, 2018 $122 No Listed Product Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
May 9, 2018 $117 AZURE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 22, 2018 $102 ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Feb 13, 2018 $94 COOLRAIL LINEAR PEN ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION GLIDEPATH TAPE Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Oct 16, 2018 $88 ATTAIN Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jun 26, 2018 $78 RHYTHMVIEW WORK STATIONS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Dec 15, 2018 $77 No Listed Product Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 29, 2018 $75 CONFIDENSE Food and Beverage BIOSENSE WEBSTER, INC.
Dec 15, 2018 $70 No Listed Product Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.

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/76083

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.