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/81394
  • 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/81394
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.

DEAN SOTEREANOS

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
9104 BABCOCK BOULEVARD, SUITE 5113, PGH, PA, 15237

2018 Payments: At a Glance

27

payments

$112,151

payment total

7

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Royalty or License
 4 $85,411
Consulting
 6 $15,025
Promotional Speaking/Other
 1 $10,100
Travel and Lodging
 5 $1,095
Food and Beverage
 11 $520

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†
DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST ANCHORS

device

 $85,411
DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS SOFT TISSUE ANCHORS

device

 $43,639
DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS SOFT TISSUE CORKSCREWS

device

 $41,772
AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR

device

 $15,850
AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR

device

 $15,850
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $8,876
GRAFTJACKET

drug

 $775
PERI-LOC

device

 $598
EVOS

device

 $495
APTUS

device

 $134
SIDUS STEM-FREE SHOULDER

device

 $12
† 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.

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Aug 15, 2018 $22,495 DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS SOFT TISSUE ANCHORS DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST ANCHORS Royalty or License ARTHREX, INC. DEAN G SOTEREANOS MD, PC
May 15, 2018 $21,753 DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS SOFT TISSUE CORKSCREWS DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST ANCHORS Royalty or License ARTHREX, INC. DEAN G SOTEREANOS MD, PC
Nov 15, 2018 $21,144 DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS SOFT TISSUE ANCHORS DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST ANCHORS Royalty or License ARTHREX, INC. DEAN G SOTEREANOS MD, PC
Feb 15, 2018 $20,019 DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS SOFT TISSUE CORKSCREWS DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HAND & WRIST ANCHORS Royalty or License ARTHREX, INC. DEAN G SOTEREANOS MD, PC
Feb 27, 2018 $10,100 AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR Promotional Speaking/Other AXOGEN
Mar 19, 2018 $6,000 No Listed Product Consulting SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. DEAN G. SOTEREANOS, M.D., PC
Aug 6, 2018 $2,600 AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR Consulting AXOGEN
Aug 6, 2018 $2,500 No Listed Product Consulting AXOGEN
May 29, 2018 $2,500 AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR Consulting AXOGEN
Feb 13, 2018 $775 GRAFTJACKET Consulting WRIGHT MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Jul 3, 2018 $650 AXOGUARD NERVE CONNECTOR AXOGUARD NERVE PROTECTOR Consulting AXOGEN
Feb 22, 2018 $598 PERI-LOC Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Feb 23, 2018 $232 EVOS Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Feb 23, 2018 $180 EVOS Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Mar 19, 2018 $130 No Listed Product Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. DEAN G. SOTEREANOS, M.D., PC
Jan 11, 2018 $121 APTUS Food and Beverage MEDARTIS INC.
Feb 23, 2018 $83 EVOS Food and Beverage SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Jan 17, 2018 $70 No Listed Product Food and Beverage ELECTRONIC WAVEFORM LAB, INC.
Mar 19, 2018 $48 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. DEAN G. SOTEREANOS, M.D., PC
Mar 19, 2018 $38 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging SMITH & NEPHEW, INC. DEAN G. SOTEREANOS, M.D., PC

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/81394

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.