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/926
  • 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/926
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.

JULIANNE SANTAROSA

Listed Specialty: Surgery
4401 COIT ROAD, SUITE 309, FRISCO, TX, 75035-0511

2018 Payments: At a Glance

57

payments

$25,139

payment total

6

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Nonaccredited Training
 3 $9,000
Travel and Lodging
 26 $4,577
Education
 1 $4,000
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $3,304
Consulting
 2 $3,000
Food and Beverage
 23 $1,258

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†
XLIF

device

 $9,672
DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM

device

 $5,334
ALIF

device

 $3,835
DIVERGENCE-L

device

 $3,651
AERO

device

 $1,916
TRITANIUM

device

 $1,846
L9000 LIGHT SOURCE

device

 $160
IGA

device

 $138
COALESCE

device

 $123
GRAFT DELIVERY SYSTEM

device

 $123
ES2

device

 $116
SERRATO

device

 $116
XIA

device

 $116
X-CORE

device

 $108
PLIF

device

 $105
TLIF

device

 $105
MLX

device

 $90
LAPBAND

device

 $45
ORBERA

device

 $45
OVERSTITCH

device

 $45
† 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/926

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Oct 11, 2018 $4,000 XLIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC.
Oct 3, 2018 $4,000 DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM Education INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
Dec 20, 2018 $3,600 XLIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC. Julianne Santarosa
Sep 13, 2018 $1,800 AERO Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION SURGICAL ELITE PLLC
Aug 16, 2018 $1,652 DIVERGENCE-L Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC USA, INC. Surgical Elite Pllc
Jul 25, 2018 $1,652 DIVERGENCE-L Promotional Speaking/Other MEDTRONIC USA, INC. Surgical Elite Pllc
Oct 30, 2018 $1,400 ALIF Nonaccredited Training NUVASIVE, INC. Julianne Santarosa
Apr 12, 2018 $1,200 TRITANIUM Consulting STRYKER CORPORATION SURGICAL ELITE PLLC
Oct 25, 2018 $510 XLIF ALIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Dec 20, 2018 $506 XLIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC. Julianne Santarosa
Oct 4, 2018 $497 ALIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Dec 20, 2018 $427 ALIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Sep 25, 2018 $360 DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
Oct 3, 2018 $300 DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM Food and Beverage INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
Aug 3, 2018 $286 TRITANIUM Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
Sep 28, 2018 $252 DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
Sep 5, 2018 $230 ALIF XLIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Sep 25, 2018 $213 DA VINCI SURGICAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
Sep 25, 2018 $201 ALIF XLIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Jun 23, 2018 $149 DIVERGENCE-L Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, 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/926

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.