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/78947
  • 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/78947
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.


JEFFREY NEPPLE

Listed Specialty: Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery
4921 PARKVIEW PL, STE 6A/6B/12A, SAINT LOUIS, MO, 63110-1032

2018 Payments: At a Glance

67

payments

$28,343

payment total

4

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Consulting
7 $14,200
Promotional Speaking/Other
2 $6,600
Travel and Lodging
18 $4,269
Food and Beverage
39 $2,188
Education
1 $1,086

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
SUTURE ANCHOR

device

$13,997
ELITE HIP INSTRUMENTS

device

$7,208
AMBIENT HIPVAC

device

$6,521
Q-FIX

device

$3,453
Payments with no listed product

N/A

$2,407
HEALICOIL

device

$2,296
BIORAPTOR

device

$2,023
OSTEORAPTOR

device

$2,023
SUTUREFIX

device

$2,023
ACCUPASS DIRECT CRESCENT XL

device

$833
REGENETEN

device

$825
HIPSTRUMENTS

device

$779
COBLATION WANDS

device

$707
FAST-FIX 360

device

$707
NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

$707
DYONICS POWERMIN/MINI BLADES

device

$600
WEREWOLF SYSTEM

device

$600
PINPOINT SYSTEM

device

$312
CLANCY ANATOMIC CRUCIATE GUIDE

device

$141
ENDOBUTTON

device

$141
† 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/78947

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Mar 29, 2018 $6,000 ELITE HIP INSTRUMENTS AMBIENT HIPVAC Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Apr 17, 2018 $4,000 SUTURE ANCHOR Consulting RESPONSIVE ARTHROSCOPY LLC
May 22, 2018 $4,000 SUTURE ANCHOR Consulting RESPONSIVE ARTHROSCOPY LLC
Aug 7, 2018 $4,000 SUTURE ANCHOR Consulting RESPONSIVE ARTHROSCOPY LLC
Jan 10, 2018 $1,569 BIORAPTOR HEALICOIL OSTEORAPTOR Q-FIX SUTUREFIX Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 23, 2018 $1,086 No Listed Product Education ELITE ORTHOPEDICS, LLC
Mar 29, 2018 $800 No Listed Product Consulting SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 10, 2018 $696 ACCUPASS DIRECT CRESCENT XL HIPSTRUMENTS Q-FIX Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
May 17, 2018 $600 DYONICS POWERMIN/MINI BLADES WEREWOLF SYSTEM Promotional Speaking/Other SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Mar 30, 2018 $518 SUTURE ANCHOR Travel and Lodging RESPONSIVE ARTHROSCOPY LLC
Aug 20, 2018 $500 SUTURE ANCHOR Consulting RESPONSIVE ARTHROSCOPY LLC
Jul 1, 2018 $500 SUTURE ANCHOR Consulting RESPONSIVE ARTHROSCOPY LLC
Mar 5, 2018 $400 No Listed Product Consulting SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
May 22, 2018 $342 SUTURE ANCHOR Travel and Lodging RESPONSIVE ARTHROSCOPY LLC
Aug 20, 2018 $312 Q-FIX PINPOINT SYSTEM Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Aug 19, 2018 $148 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM FAST-FIX 360 COBLATION WANDS REGENETEN ELITE HIP INSTRUMENTS Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 13, 2018 $142 Q-FIX Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
May 12, 2018 $141 CLANCY ANATOMIC CRUCIATE GUIDE ENDOBUTTON Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 11, 2018 $140 BIORAPTOR HEALICOIL OSTEORAPTOR Q-FIX SUTUREFIX Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Aug 19, 2018 $133 NAVIO SURGICAL SYSTEM FAST-FIX 360 COBLATION WANDS REGENETEN ELITE HIP INSTRUMENTS Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, 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/78947

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.