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/77474
  • 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/77474
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.

JOSHUA PERKEL

Listed Specialty: Urology
5400 BOWMAN RD, SUITE 100, MACON, GA, 31210-8879

2018 Payments: At a Glance

99

payments

$4,032

payment total

24

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
 89 $2,562
Travel and Lodging
 4 $973
Education
 5 $262
Promotional Speaking/Other
 1 $235

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

 $1,405
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $441
PROLIA

drug

 $313
XTANDI

drug

 $261
COOK MEDICAL LASERS

device

 $201
XGEVA

drug

 $189
XIAFLEX

drug

 $176
COOK MEDICAL NGAGE

device

 $146
ENDOBEAM

device

 $135
COOK MEDICAL STENTS

device

 $133
PROVENGE

drug

 $127
ZYTIGA

drug

 $121
MYRBETRIQ

drug

 $103
DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

 $98
TOVIAZ

drug

 $93
AVEED

drug

 $76
AMS

device

 $73
GENERAL KIDNEY STONE DISEASE

device

 $72
AXUMIN

drug

 $70
ERLEADA

drug

 $61
† 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/77474

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Jan 30, 2018 $390 UROLIFT Travel and Lodging NEOTRACT INC.
Feb 26, 2018 $263 UROLIFT Travel and Lodging NEOTRACT INC.
Feb 23, 2018 $244 UROLIFT Travel and Lodging NEOTRACT INC.
Sep 6, 2018 $235 No Listed Product Promotional Speaking/Other ASTELLAS PHARMA US INC
Jul 24, 2018 $125 PROLIA Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Nov 13, 2018 $122 PROLIA XGEVA Food and Beverage AMGEN INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $110 COOK MEDICAL LASERS Food and Beverage COOK INCORPORATED
Dec 13, 2018 $109 PROVENGE Food and Beverage DENDREON PHARMACEUTICALS LLC
Sep 8, 2018 $105 COOK MEDICAL STENTS Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Feb 12, 2018 $105 UROLIFT Food and Beverage NEOTRACT INC.
Nov 14, 2018 $100 XIAFLEX Education ENDO PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
Jun 1, 2018 $99 No Listed Product Education AMGEN INC.
Jun 7, 2018 $96 UROLIFT Food and Beverage NEOTRACT INC.
Aug 21, 2018 $93 No Listed Product Food and Beverage WILMINGTON MEDICAL SUPPLY, INC.
Feb 22, 2018 $86 UROLIFT Food and Beverage NEOTRACT INC.
Feb 9, 2018 $83 COOK MEDICAL NGAGE Food and Beverage COOK MEDICAL LLC
Jun 7, 2018 $76 UROLIFT Travel and Lodging NEOTRACT INC.
Jan 24, 2018 $72 ENDOBEAM Food and Beverage C. R. BARD, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES
Feb 28, 2018 $72 GENERAL KIDNEY STONE DISEASE Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jan 9, 2018 $71 DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM Food and Beverage INTUITIVE SURGICAL, 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/77474

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.