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/98216
  • 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/98216
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.

JAHANGIR ASGHAR

Listed Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine
3100 SW 62ND AVE, MIAMI, FL, 33155-3009

2018 Payments: At a Glance

113

payments

$40,594

payment total

10

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Promotional Speaking/Other
 4 $18,800
Travel and Lodging
 31 $9,766
Consulting
 2 $7,250
Food and Beverage
 76 $4,778

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†
RISE

device

 $10,717
CREO

device

 $9,638
DEFORMITY, ARX

device

 $7,363
RELINE

device

 $1,932
XLIF

device

 $1,825
EXPEDIUM

device

 $1,654
ALTERA

device

 $1,492
VIPER

device

 $1,420
ALIF

device

 $1,155
COUGAR

device

 $1,062
VERTEK

device

 $924
PIVOX OBLIQUE LATERAL SPINAL SYSTEM

device

 $881
TRITANIUM

device

 $679
DIVERGENCE-L

device

 $639
CREO DEFORMITY

device

 $605
MAZORX - RENAISSANCE

device

 $532
O-ARM-SPINE

device

 $314
PULSE

device

 $313
OSTEOCEL

device

 $235
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $218
† 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/98216

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
Sep 17, 2018 $5,200 RISE Promotional Speaking/Other GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Mar 27, 2018 $4,800 CREO Promotional Speaking/Other GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Sep 17, 2018 $4,800 RISE Promotional Speaking/Other GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Mar 27, 2018 $4,000 CREO Promotional Speaking/Other GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Apr 18, 2018 $3,750 DEFORMITY, ARX Consulting LIFE SPINE, INC. Alpha Precision Holding
Apr 13, 2018 $3,500 DEFORMITY, ARX Consulting LIFE SPINE, INC. Alpha Precision Holding
Mar 8, 2018 $1,412 ALTERA Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
May 23, 2018 $852 PIVOX OBLIQUE LATERAL SPINAL SYSTEM Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Mar 26, 2018 $646 CREO Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Jun 12, 2018 $620 XLIF RELINE Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Mar 27, 2018 $605 CREO DEFORMITY Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Sep 16, 2018 $562 RISE Travel and Lodging GLOBUS MEDICAL, INC.
Apr 2, 2018 $524 VERTEK Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Nov 21, 2018 $517 ALIF XLIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Jul 11, 2018 $508 RELINE Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Nov 16, 2018 $456 ALIF Travel and Lodging NUVASIVE, INC.
Jun 5, 2018 $397 TRITANIUM Travel and Lodging STRYKER CORPORATION
May 21, 2018 $391 DIVERGENCE-L Travel and Lodging MEDTRONIC USA, INC.
Oct 19, 2018 $378 COUGAR EXPEDIUM VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
Oct 19, 2018 $351 COUGAR EXPEDIUM VIPER Travel and Lodging MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS SERVICES, 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/98216

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.