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/763350
  • 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/763350
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.

JUSTIN VAN MEETEREN

Listed Specialty: Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery)
200 1ST ST SW, ROCHESTER, MN, 55905-0001

2018 Payments: At a Glance

48

payments

$5,067

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Travel and Lodging
 11 $3,236
Food and Beverage
 37 $1,831

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†
OCTOPUS

device

 $2,743
IMPELLA

device

 $775
EDWARDS INTUITY ELITE VALVE SYSTEM

device

 $255
3F

device

 $193
CG FUTURE

device

 $189
MITRA CLIP SYSTEM

device

 $165
ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM

device

 $124
COOLRAIL LINEAR PEN

device

 $120
DISSECTOR SYSTEM

device

 $120
CONFORMABLE TAG THORACIC ENDOPROSTHESIS

device

 $116
RESOLUTE

device

 $115
EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX, MODELS

device

 $101
STERNALOCK BLU

device

 $56
CLOTTRIEVER

device

 $48
FLOWTRIEVER

device

 $48
QUADRA ASSURA CRT DEFIBRILLATOR

device

 $45
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $31
ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM

device

 $27
RELAY PLUS

device

 $21
PREVELEAK

device

 $17
† 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/763350

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Sep 19, 2018 $874 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 23, 2018 $751 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jan 25, 2018 $356 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 20, 2018 $271 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
May 17, 2018 $260 IMPELLA Travel and Lodging ABIOMED
Jul 6, 2018 $189 IMPELLA Travel and Lodging ABIOMED
Jun 19, 2018 $170 IMPELLA Travel and Lodging ABIOMED
Oct 10, 2018 $165 MITRA CLIP SYSTEM Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jan 24, 2018 $155 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Mar 28, 2018 $142 EDWARDS INTUITY ELITE VALVE SYSTEM Food and Beverage EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Jan 24, 2018 $131 OCTOPUS Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Aug 25, 2018 $116 CONFORMABLE TAG THORACIC ENDOPROSTHESIS Food and Beverage W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Jun 21, 2018 $115 RESOLUTE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
May 8, 2018 $113 EDWARDS INTUITY ELITE VALVE SYSTEM Food and Beverage EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
May 17, 2018 $111 IMPELLA Travel and Lodging ABIOMED
Oct 1, 2018 $110 OCTOPUS Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Sep 5, 2018 $106 CG FUTURE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Jul 11, 2018 $101 EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX, MODELS ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Jan 23, 2018 $79 OCTOPUS Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Nov 25, 2018 $68 COOLRAIL LINEAR PEN DISSECTOR SYSTEM Food and Beverage ATRICURE, 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/763350

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.