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/96823
  • 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/96823
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.

SEAN WHALEN

Listed Specialty: Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
3601 THE VANDERBILT CLINIC, NASHVILLE, TN, 37232-0001

2018 Payments: At a Glance

67

payments

$15,875

payment total

13

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Travel and Lodging
 12 $6,649
Consulting
 5 $5,416
Nonaccredited Training
 1 $2,000
Food and Beverage
 49 $1,811

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†
ABLATION THERAPY HARDWARE

device

 $4,966
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $3,837
ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM

device

 $1,970
SENTUS

device

 $1,547
CARTO 3 SYSTEM

device

 $1,219
GENERAL THERAPIES

device

 $1,140
CVX-300

device

 $450
EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX, MODELS

device

 $322
DISSECTOR SYSTEM

device

 $187
ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM

device

 $118
EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYS

device

 $116
COOLRAIL LINEAR PEN

device

 $109
GENERAL STRUCTURAL HEART

device

 $105
CARTO SMARTTOUCH

device

 $100
ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION

device

 $77
WATCHMAN

device

 $65
ZOOM

device

 $65
EMBLEM

device

 $62
ECM

device

 $41
REVEAL LINQ

device

 $40
† 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/96823

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Mar 22, 2018 $2,292 ABLATION THERAPY HARDWARE Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
May 22, 2018 $2,000 No Listed Product Nonaccredited Training BIOTRONIK INC.
Apr 24, 2018 $1,547 SENTUS Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Jul 30, 2018 $1,465 ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM Travel and Lodging ATRICURE, INC.
Mar 22, 2018 $1,146 ABLATION THERAPY HARDWARE Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 17, 2018 $1,032 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Mar 22, 2018 $764 ABLATION THERAPY HARDWARE Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Mar 22, 2018 $764 ABLATION THERAPY HARDWARE Consulting ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Apr 17, 2018 $679 No Listed Product Travel and Lodging BIOTRONIK INC.
Jan 2, 2018 $599 CARTO 3 SYSTEM Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Apr 30, 2018 $450 CVX-300 Consulting PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICA CORPORATION
Jun 24, 2018 $301 GENERAL THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jun 25, 2018 $292 GENERAL THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jan 19, 2018 $190 CARTO 3 SYSTEM Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Jun 24, 2018 $186 GENERAL THERAPIES Travel and Lodging BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Jan 9, 2018 $181 CARTO 3 SYSTEM Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
May 3, 2018 $129 EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX, MODELS Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
May 31, 2018 $117 EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX, MODELS ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Jul 23, 2018 $116 ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYS Food and Beverage ATRICURE, INC.
Jan 31, 2018 $109 ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM DISSECTOR SYSTEM COOLRAIL LINEAR PEN Food and Beverage ATRICURE, 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/96823

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.