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/767286
  • 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/767286
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.

JAMES CHOW

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
2122 E HIGHLAND AVE, 300, PHOENIX, AZ, 85016-4739

2018 Payments: At a Glance

170

payments

$561,285

payment total

8

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 4 $362K
Promotional Speaking/Other
 71 $161K
Travel and Lodging
 32 $21,200
Consulting
 12 $14,220
Food and Beverage
 51 $2,835

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†
MPO HIP SYSTEM

device

 $436K
NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

 $106K
JOURNEY II XR

device

 $55,945
VISIONAIRE CUTTING GUIDES

device

 $28,767
JOURNEY II BCS

device

 $27,809
VISIONAIRE DIGITAL TEMPLATING

device

 $19,270
JOURNEY II CR

device

 $16,910
JOURNEY UNI

device

 $15,615
LEGION

device

 $9,680
ZUK UNI

device

 $9,680
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $5,470
VERASENSE

device

 $1,804
LEGION HINGE

device

 $1,315
POLARSTEM

device

 $566
ANTHOLOGY

device

 $365
JOURNEY PFJ

device

 $365
LEGION REVISION

device

 $104
PICO

device

 $101
REGENETEN

device

 $101
ALL CERVICAL PRODUCTS

drug

 $100
† 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/767286

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Nov 12, 2018 $98,550 MPO HIP SYSTEM Royalty or License MICROPORT ORTHOPEDICS INC
Aug 13, 2018 $93,960 MPO HIP SYSTEM Royalty or License MICROPORT ORTHOPEDICS INC
May 10, 2018 $85,590 MPO HIP SYSTEM Royalty or License MICROPORT ORTHOPEDICS INC
Feb 8, 2018 $83,970 MPO HIP SYSTEM Royalty or License MICROPORT ORTHOPEDICS INC
May 25, 2018 $13,250 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM JOURNEY II XR Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. CHOW SERVICES, LLC
Nov 8, 2018 $10,991 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Oct 11, 2018 $10,750 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. CHOW SERVICES, LLC
Sep 21, 2018 $9,500 JOURNEY II BCS JOURNEY II CR JOURNEY II XR Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. CHOW SERVICES, LLC
May 25, 2018 $9,250 JOURNEY UNI VISIONAIRE CUTTING GUIDES NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM JOURNEY II BCS JOURNEY II XR Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. CHOW SERVICES, LLC
Jun 26, 2018 $7,000 MPO HIP SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other MICROPORT ORTHOPEDICS INC
Jan 9, 2018 $7,000 MPO HIP SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other MICROPORT ORTHOPEDICS INC
Nov 1, 2018 $6,000 JOURNEY UNI NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM JOURNEY II BCS JOURNEY II XR Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. CHOW SERVICES, LLC
Apr 10, 2018 $4,000 MPO HIP SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other MICROPORT ORTHOPEDICS INC
Jun 26, 2018 $4,000 MPO HIP SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other MICROPORT ORTHOPEDICS INC
Apr 10, 2018 $3,500 MPO HIP SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other MICROPORT ORTHOPEDICS INC
Jan 18, 2018 $3,500 MPO HIP SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other MICROPORT ORTHOPEDICS INC
May 25, 2018 $3,250 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM JOURNEY II XR Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. CHOW SERVICES, LLC
May 25, 2018 $3,000 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM Consulting SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. CHOW SERVICES, LLC
Feb 2, 2018 $2,760 No Listed Product Consulting SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
May 25, 2018 $2,500 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM JOURNEY II XR Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. CHOW SERVICES, LLC

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/767286

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.