Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Rama Balaraman, M.D.
Hematology & Oncology · Ocala, FL
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Consulting-driven
Very High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 4 of 4 federal sources
Measures public federal data availability — not provider quality
Informational, not a quality rating. This page presents federal public records about Dr. Balaraman from CMS (NPPES, Open Payments, Medicare Provider Utilization, PECOS). It is not medical advice, an endorsement, or a judgment of clinical quality. Always consult the provider directly and a licensed clinician for medical decisions. Read methodology →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Balaraman
Dr. Rama Balaraman is a hematology & oncology in Ocala, FL, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Balaraman performed 170,639 Medicare services across 7,539 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Balaraman received a total of $95,697 from 105 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 1217 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in hematology & oncology. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Balaraman is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. This is not a quality rating. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.
✓ 19 years in practice▲ Top 3% volume in FL$ $95,697 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗170,639
Medicare services
Top 3% in FL for hematology & oncology
7,539
Unique beneficiaries
$18
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~8,981 Medicare services per year of practice
Top procedures by volume
Ranked by number of services performed for Medicare patients. Avg. submitted charge is what the provider billed; avg. Medicare payment is what CMS paid.
| Procedure | Volume | Avg. paid | Avg. submitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darbepoetin injection (Aranesp) for anemia | 33,500 | $2 | $21 |
| Pembrolizumab injection (Keytruda) | 32,400 | $43 | $146 |
| Filgrastim injection (Zarxio) for white blood cells | 27,660 | $0 | $2 |
| Denosumab injection (Prolia/Xgeva) | 13,380 | $18 | $70 |
| Contrast dye for imaging (iodine-based) | 9,450 | $0 | $3 |
| Daratumumab injection (Darzalex) | 9,180 | $38 | $136 |
| Iron infusion (Monoferric) | 7,300 | $16 | $76 |
| Immune globulin infusion (Octagam) | 6,894 | $33 | $251 |
| Anti-nausea injection (aprepitant) | 4,030 | $1 | $9 |
| Complete blood count (CBC) with differential | 3,362 | $8 | $35 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) | 3,198 | $8 | $19 |
| Comprehensive metabolic blood panel | 2,227 | $10 | $62 |
| Dexamethasone injection (steroid) | 1,462 | $0 | $1 |
| Lactate dehydrogenase (enzyme) level | 1,378 | $6 | $30 |
| Epoetin alfa injection (Retacrit) for anemia | 1,010 | $6 | $30 |
| Iron binding capacity test | 994 | $9 | $34 |
| Iron level test | 993 | $6 | $26 |
| Ferritin level test (iron stores) | 985 | $13 | $58 |
| Injection, fulvestrant, 25 mg | 820 | $9 | $262 |
| Anti-nausea injection (Aloxi/palonosetron) | 780 | $1 | $122 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 721 | $95 | $224 |
| Injection, granisetron hydrochloride, 100 mcg | 700 | $0 | $25 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle | 584 | $10 | $93 |
| Vitamin B-12 level test | 543 | $15 | $74 |
| Injection of additional new drug or substance into vein | 483 | $12 | $105 |
| Folic acid level test | 456 | $14 | $71 |
| Immunologic analysis for detection of tumor antigen, quantitative; ca 15-3 | 423 | $20 | $124 |
| Administration of chemotherapy into vein, 1 hour or less | 370 | $99 | $686 |
| Measurement of substance using immunoassay technique | 352 | $17 | $181 |
| Nephelometry, test method using light | 352 | $13 | $176 |
| Antibody identification test, platelet associated immunoglobulin assay | 297 | $12 | $155 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 297 | $58 | $148 |
| Infusion into a vein for therapy, prevention, or diagnosis, 1 hour or less | 270 | $47 | $304 |
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test | 240 | $16 | $78 |
| Injection, carboplatin, 50 mg | 196 | $2 | $300 |
| Injection, pegfilgrastim-apgf (nyvepria), biosimilar, 0.5 mg | 192 | $89 | $879 |
| Infusion into a vein for therapy, prevention, or diagnosis, each additional hour | 175 | $16 | $97 |
| Administration of non-hormonal anti-neoplastic chemotherapy under skin or into muscle | 175 | $55 | $205 |
| Injection, vitamin b-12 cyanocobalamin, up to 1000 mcg | 173 | $1 | $19 |
| Adrenocorticotropic hormone (acth) level | 158 | $38 | $166 |
| Injection, zoledronic acid, 1 mg | 156 | $7 | $462 |
| Measurement of immunoglobulin light chains | 144 | $17 | $60 |
| Free thyroxine (T4) test | 138 | $9 | $63 |
| Injection, diphenhydramine hcl, up to 50 mg | 133 | $1 | $7 |
| Infusion into a vein for hydration, 31-60 minutes | 116 | $25 | $249 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity | 106 | $96 | $232 |
| Ct scan of chest with contrast | 96 | $89 | $1,005 |
| Administration of additional new drug or substance into vein, 1 hour or less | 95 | $50 | $334 |
| Infusion, normal saline solution, sterile (500 ml = 1 unit) | 94 | $1 | $19 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity | 83 | $64 | $157 |
| Administration of hormonal anti-neoplastic chemotherapy under skin or into muscle | 81 | $25 | $141 |
| Infusion, normal saline solution , 1000 cc | 81 | $2 | $19 |
| Uric acid level test | 79 | $4 | $24 |
| Administration of chemotherapy into vein, each additional hour | 76 | $22 | $156 |
| CT scan of abdomen and pelvis with contrast | 74 | $212 | $1,400 |
| Fluorodeoxyglucose f-18 fdg, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 45 millicuries | 73 | $408 | $638 |
| Basic metabolic blood panel | 70 | $8 | $48 |
| Nuclear medicine study from skull base to mid-thigh with ct scan | 68 | $1,206 | $4,120 |
| Infusion into a vein for therapy, prevention, or diagnosis, additional sequential infusion, 1 hour or less | 67 | $21 | $152 |
| PSA test (prostate cancer screening) | 64 | $18 | $91 |
| Infusion into a vein for hydration, each additional hour | 63 | $10 | $73 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) | 61 | $139 | $301 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity | 61 | $140 | $412 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 50 | $170 | $432 |
| Automated urinalysis | 49 | $2 | $16 |
| CT scan of chest, without contrast | 44 | $72 | $861 |
| Administration of additional new drug or substance into vein using push technique | 42 | $43 | $281 |
| Carcinoembryonic antigen (cea) protein level | 35 | $19 | $96 |
| Ct scan of abdomen and pelvis without contrast | 33 | $124 | $892 |
| Unclassified drugs | 27 | $1 | $9 |
| Collection of blood sample from implanted device | 25 | $18 | $64 |
| Irrigation of implanted venous access drug delivery device | 24 | $19 | $111 |
| Infusion into a vein for therapy, prevention, or diagnosis concurrent with another infusion | 22 | $15 | $91 |
| Beta-2 microglobulin (protein) level | 20 | $16 | $93 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 16 | $121 | $343 |
| Biopsy and aspiration of bone marrow sample for diagnosis | 13 | $137 | $523 |
How to read this data: This reflects Medicare patients only (typically 65+). Payment amounts are what Medicare paid the provider, not your out-of-pocket cost. A higher procedure volume generally indicates more experience with that procedure.
8.8% high complexity
80.5% medium
10.7% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$95,697
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $13,671/year across 7 years
Top 10% in FL for hematology & oncology
105
Companies
1,217
Individual payments
All payments are legal and publicly reported · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →
Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$67,057 (70.1%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$21,530 (22.5%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$5,896 (6.2%)
Other
Charitable contributions, space rental, and other categories
$1,214 (1.3%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024$5,717
2023$14,865
2022$11,350
2021$17,030
2020$20,058
2019$10,610
2018$16,068
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$13,399
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$8,623
Genentech, Inc.
$7,963
PFIZER INC.
$7,933
Foundation Medicine, Inc.
$5,390
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$4,074
Kite Pharma, Inc.
$3,731
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc
$3,654
BeiGene USA, Inc.
$3,457
Pharmacosmos Therapeutics Inc.
$3,216
Genentech USA, Inc.
$3,088
Puma Biotechnology, Inc.
$3,036
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$2,648
Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC
$2,550
Lilly USA, LLC
$2,516
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$2,050
G1 Therapeutics, Inc.
$1,577
MorphoSys, US Inc.
$1,554
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$1,251
Amgen Inc.
$1,167
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$1,151
Seagen Inc.
$671
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$640
Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$544
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$522
Celltrion USA Inc.
$449
Incyte Corporation
$436
Eisai Inc.
$417
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$409
Celgene Corporation
$405
GENZYME CORPORATION
$361
Seattle Genetics, Inc.
$361
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$351
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$310
EISAI INC.
$308
Genmab U.S., Inc.
$249
Octapharma USA, Inc.
$246
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$244
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$244
Pharmacyclics LLC, An AbbVie Company
$230
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$216
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
$185
NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
$167
Exelixis Inc.
$154
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$143
Dova Pharmaceuticals
$128
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$127
EMD Serono, Inc.
$125
Stryker Corporation
$125
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$122
ARRAY BIOPHARMA INC
$121
Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc.
$117
Kyowa Kirin, Inc.
$110
Novocure Inc.
$108
TAIHO ONCOLOGY, INC.
$105
Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$105
ABBVIE INC.
$102
Coherus Biosciences Inc.
$97
TerSera Therapeutics LLC
$96
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$95
Taiho Oncology, Inc.
$90
SOBI, INC
$89
CSL Behring
$89
PUMA BIOTECHNOLOGY, INC.
$89
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$77
Clovis Oncology, Inc.
$71
Stemline Therapeutics Inc.
$66
Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company
$66
TG THERAPEUTICS, INC.
$65
SERVIER PHARMACEUTICALS LLC
$54
Servier Pharmaceuticals LLC
$53
Epizyme, Inc.,
$52
Astellas Pharma Global Development
$48
Mirati Therapeutics, Inc.
$47
TG Therapeutics, Inc.
$46
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$45
PharmaEssentia USA Corporation
$43
GE HealthCare
$39
Array BioPharma Inc.
$38
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$35
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$32
Blueprint Medicines Corporation
$31
Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc.
$30
Emmaus Medical, Inc.
$29
MEDIVATION FIELD SOLUTIONS LLC
$27
SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INC.
$27
Secura Bio, Inc.
$26
Fennec Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$24
RECORDATI_RARE_DISEASES_INC.
$24
Tempus AI, Inc
$23
ImmunoGen, Inc.
$23
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$22
ADC Therapeutics America, Inc.
$21
Medtronic, Inc.
$20
Advanced Accelerator Applications
$19
Geron Corporation
$19
CTI BioPharma Corp.
$17
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$17
Blue Earth Diagnostics Limited
$15
Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$15
Helsinn Therapeutics (U.S.), Inc.
$15
Acrotech Biopharma LLC
$14
AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
AbbVie Inc.
$12
GE HEALTHCARE
$10
Top 3 companies account for 31.3% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADAKVEO · ADCETRIS · AFINITOR · AKYNZEO · ALIMTA · ALUNBRIG · ANDEXXA · AUGTYRO · AYVAKIT · Afstyla · Alecensa · Aliqopa · Aranesp · Avastin · Axumin · BAVENCIO · BELEODAQ · BENDEKA · BESREMI · BLENREP · BOSULIF · BRAFTOVI · BRUKINSA · Bavencio · Blincyto · Braftovi · CABLIVI · CABOMETYX · CALQUENCE · CERDELGA · CEREZYME · CINVANTI · COPIKTRA · COSELA · CRIZANLIZUMAB · CYRAMZA · Cabometyx · Cinvanti · DARZALEX · DOPTELET · Doptelet · ELAHERE · ELITEK · ELREXFIO · EMPRINT · ENHERTU · ENJAYMO · ENTRESTO · ERLEADA · EXKIVITY · Elahere · Empaveli · Endari · Enhertu · Epkinly · Erleada · FARYDAK · FOTIVDA · FOUNDATIONACT · FOUNDATIONONE · FRUZAQLA · Fabhalta · GAZYVA · GILOTRIF · GIVLAARI · Herceptin · IBRANCE · ICLUSIG · IMBRUVICA · IMFINZI · INJECTAFER · INLYTA · INREBIC · Imbruvica · Itovebi · JAKAFI · JEVTANA · KANJINTI · KEYTRUDA · KISQALI · KRAZATI · KRYSTEXXA · Kadcyla · Kyprolis · LIBTAYO · LONSURF · LOQTORZI · LORBRENA · LUMAKRAS · LUTATHERA · LYNPARZA · Lenvima · Lonsurf · Lutathera · MAKO · MEKINIST · MEKTOVI · MONJUVI · MONOFERRIC · MVASI · MYLOTARG · Monoferric · NERLYNX · NINLARO · Nerlynx · Neulasta · Nplate · Nubeqa · OCTAGAM IMMUNE GLOBULIN (HUMAN) · ODOMZO · ODOMZO (sonidegib) capsules · OJJAARA · ONIVYDE · OPDIVO · OPDUALAG · OXBRYTA · Odomzo · Onivyde · Optune · Optune Lua (NovoTTF-200T) · Orserdu · PADCEV · PANZYGA · PEMAZYRE · PIQRAY · PLUVICTO · POTELIGEO · PRADAXA · PROMACTA · PYRUKYND · Padcev · Pedmark · Perjeta · Phesgo · Polivy · Pomalyst · Poteligeo · Prolia · Quzyttir · REBLOZYL · RETEVMO · RYBREVANT · RYTELO · Revlimid · Rezlidhia · Rubraca · SANCUSO · SARCLISA · SCEMBLIX · SHINGRIX · SOLIRIS · SOMATULINE DEPOT · SUSTOL · SUTENT · SYLVANT · Somatuline Depot · Stivarga · TABRECTA · TAGRISSO · TASIGNA · TAXOTERE · TAZVERIK · TECENTRIQ · TECVAYLI · TEVIMBRA · TIBSOVO · TIVDAK · TUKYSA · Tavalisse · Tecentriq · Tibsovo · Trelstar · Trodelvy · UKONIQ · ULTOMIRIS · Udenyca · Ultomiris · VEGZELMA · VENCLEXTA · VERZENIO · VONJO · VOTRIENT · VYXEOS · Vectibix · Venclexta · Vitrakvi · Vonjo · XALKORI · XGEVA · XOSPATA · XPOVIO · XT CDX · XTANDI · Xermelo · Xofigo · Xospata · Xtandi · YONSA · Yescarta · ZEJULA · ZEPZELCA · ZOLADEX · Zoladex
Should you be concerned? Payments from pharmaceutical and device companies are legal and common — 57% of U.S. physicians receive at least one. They often reflect legitimate consulting, research, or education. What matters is whether a recommended drug or device appears in your doctor's payment records. If so, consider asking your doctor about it. How to interpret this data →
The majority of payments (70%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 10% for hematology & oncology in FL.
Equivalent to $56 per 100 Medicare services performed
Geographic Context
Hematology & Oncologys within 10 mi
6
Per 100K population
1.5
County median income
$58,535
Nearest hospital
ADVENTHEALTH OCALA
0.0 mi
0.0 mi
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | Weekly updates |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | Monthly updates |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not public | N/A |
This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Balaraman is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 3% in FL), and high industry engagement (consulting-driven, top 10%), with 19 years of practice experience.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Balaraman experienced with darbepoetin injection (aranesp) for anemia?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Balaraman performed 33,500 darbepoetin injection (aranesp) for anemia services. Research suggests that higher procedure volume is often associated with better outcomes, particularly for complex procedures. Note that Medicare data only captures patients aged 65 and older, so the total practice volume across all patients is likely higher.
Does Dr. Balaraman receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Balaraman received a total of $95,697 from 105 companies across 1,217 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common among physicians — 57% of all U.S. physicians receive at least one industry payment. Patients may wish to ask their doctor about these relationships, especially if a recommended drug or device appears in the payment records.
How do Dr. Balaraman's costs compare to other hematology & oncologys in Ocala?
Dr. Balaraman's average Medicare payment per service is $18. Note that these figures represent what Medicare pays, not your out-of-pocket cost, which depends on your specific insurance plan and deductible. Procedure-level data above shows both what was submitted and what Medicare paid for each service type.
What does Data Coverage mean?
Data Coverage (currently Very High for Dr. Balaraman) measures how much public federal data is available about a provider. It is not a quality rating. A "Very High" or "High" level means the provider has data across multiple federal sources (NPPES, PECOS, Medicare Utilization, Open Payments), indicating a long track record of practice, Medicare participation, and industry disclosure. A "Low" or "Moderate" level may simply mean the provider is newer, does not see Medicare patients, or has not received any industry payments — none of which are inherently negative. Read our full methodology →
Is this data up to date?
Each data source has its own update cycle. Provider registry data (NPPES) is updated weekly. Medicare enrollment (PECOS) is updated monthly. Medicare practice data has a ~2 year lag — the most recent available is typically 2 years prior. Industry payment data (Open Payments) is published annually, usually in June, covering the prior calendar year. We display the data date prominently on each section so you always know how current it is. See our data freshness policy →
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About this page
All data on this page is sourced verbatim from public federal records published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): NPPES ↗, Open Payments ↗, Medicare Provider Utilization ↗, and PECOS. Publication is mandated by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (§6002 ACA, 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7h) and the Freedom of Information Act.
This page is not medical advice, an endorsement, a recommendation, or a quality rating. The Transparency Score measures data completeness — how much federal information exists for this provider — not clinical performance, patient outcomes, or quality of care. Always verify information directly with the provider and consult a licensed clinician before making medical decisions.
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