Dr. Benjamin Barnes, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Barnes
Dr. Benjamin Barnes is a neuromuscular medicine physician in Augusta, GA, with 11 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Barnes performed 323 Medicare services across 237 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Barnes received a total of $47,942 from 45 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 300 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neuromuscular medicine (psychiatry & neurology) physician. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Barnes is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited needle EMG of arm or leg muscles A test that measures the electrical activity in specific muscles of the arm or leg using a needle electrode. This limited study evaluates muscle function in a targeted area. |
59 | $13 | $43 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
44 | $58 | $152 |
| Electromyography of arm or leg muscles A test that measures the electrical activity in the muscles of the arm or leg using a needle electrode. It helps evaluate the health of muscles and the nerve cells that control them. |
35 | $31 | $114 |
| Needle measurement of electrical activity in muscle with injection of chemical for paralysis of nerve muscle | 33 | $15 | $76 |
| Chemical nerve block injection, 5+ arm/leg muscles Injection of a chemical agent to paralyze five or more muscles in the first extremity treated. |
29 | $85 | $286 |
| Nerve conduction study, 3-4 tests A diagnostic test that measures how well nerves send electrical signals. It involves performing 3 to 4 separate nerve conduction studies to evaluate nerve function. |
29 | $47 | $155 |
| Prolonged office E/M service, first 15 minutes This code is used for additional time spent by a physician beyond the maximum required time of a primary office or outpatient evaluation and management service. It is billed in 15-minute increments based on total time spent on the date of the primary service. |
26 | $24 | $71 |
| Nerve conduction studies, 5-6 tests A series of 5 to 6 tests that measure how well nerves send electrical signals. The procedure evaluates nerve function and helps identify damage or dysfunction. |
23 | $58 | $135 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter. |
20 | $87 | $311 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) A follow-up office visit for an existing patient lasting between 30 and 39 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
14 | $85 | $226 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 11 | $146 | $445 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
All-time payments by company (2019-2024) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
The majority of payments (76%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in neuromuscular medicine (psychiatry & neurology) physician and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 0% for neuromuscular medicine (psychiatry & neurology) physician in GA.
Geographic Context
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 reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Barnes is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 0% of GA peers.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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. Data Coverage reflects 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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