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/847901
  • 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/847901
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.


DANIEL HERMANN

Listed Specialty: Internal Medicine
925 GESSNER RD, SUITE 400, HOUSTON, TX, 77024-2545

2018 Payments: At a Glance

80

payments

$6,643

payment total

18

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Food and Beverage
70 $3,887
Travel and Lodging
9 $2,753
Education
1 $3

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
WATCHMAN

device

$1,163
AMPLATZER OCCLUDERS

device

$1,078
IMPELLA

device

$979
ASSURITY PACEMAKER

device

$553
SPYGLASS

device

$394
PACEMAKERS

device

$347
CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM

device

$306
XARELTO

drug

$240
RESOLUTE

device

$193
ENTRESTO

drug

$184
DURATA DEFIBRILLATION ICD LEAD

device

$171
PACING LEADS

device

$162
ALLURE CRT PACEMAKER

device

$145
ARTIS PHENO

device

$134
CROSSBOSS

device

$125
HEARTWARE HVAD

device

$113
LIFEVEST

device

$52
BRILINTA

drug

$51
ELIQUIS

drug

$43
JARDIANCE

drug

$42
† 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/847901

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Sep 25, 2018 $665 WATCHMAN Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Apr 11, 2018 $596 AMPLATZER OCCLUDERS Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 26, 2018 $394 SPYGLASS Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
May 2, 2018 $335 AMPLATZER OCCLUDERS Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 12, 2018 $328 ASSURITY PACEMAKER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 25, 2018 $309 WATCHMAN Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jan 24, 2018 $180 PACEMAKERS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 10, 2018 $171 DURATA DEFIBRILLATION ICD LEAD Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jan 16, 2018 $162 PACING LEADS Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 26, 2018 $157 WATCHMAN Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Sep 21, 2018 $156 RESOLUTE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Aug 1, 2018 $156 CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 14, 2018 $151 ASSURITY PACEMAKER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Sep 7, 2018 $150 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Aug 1, 2018 $150 CARDIOMEMS HF SYSTEM Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Aug 30, 2018 $145 ALLURE CRT PACEMAKER Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
May 2, 2018 $139 AMPLATZER OCCLUDERS Travel and Lodging ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Jul 27, 2018 $139 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Dec 20, 2018 $134 ARTIS PHENO Food and Beverage SIEMENS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS USA, INC.
Sep 19, 2018 $130 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED

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/847901

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.