Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Ellen Air, MD, PHD

Neurological Surgery · Detroit, MI
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
2799 W GRAND BLVD, Detroit, MI 48202
3139161340
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1881805174 verify on NPPES ↗
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. Air 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 →
Are you Dr. Air? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Air

Dr. Ellen Air is a neurological surgery specialist in Detroit, MI, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Air performed 184 Medicare services across 162 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Air received a total of $18,972 from 17 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 104 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. Most payments are for meals and travel — low-value interactions common across virtually all practicing physicians. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Air 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.

✓ 19 years in practice ▲ 184 Medicare services $18,972 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
184
Medicare services
Bottom 46% in MI for neurological surgery
162
Unique beneficiaries
$167
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~10 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
Spinal neurostimulator electrode insertion
A procedure to place an electrode array into the spine through the skin. The electrode is used to deliver electrical stimulation to the nervous system.
32 $260 $1,341
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.
29 $50 $78
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
22 $104 $432
New patient office visit (45-59 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter.
21 $105 $150
Spinal neurostimulator generator insertion
Surgical placement of a spinal neurostimulator generator or receiver device.
18 $162 $1,200
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 13 $138 $208
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
13 $27 $47
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.
13 $79 $105
Brain neurostimulator pulse device insertion with 2+ electrodes
Surgical placement of a brain neurostimulator pulse generator connected to two or more electrode arrays.
12 $758 $2,960
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.
11 $116 $155
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.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$18,972
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $2,710/year across 7 years
Top 19% in MI for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
17
Companies
104
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.

Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$11,871 (62.6%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$7,100 (37.4%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$4,405
2023
$4,274
2022
$789
2021
$4,301
2020
$17
2019
$2,148
2018
$3,037

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Stryker Corporation
$1,500
InSightec,Inc
$1,470
ClearPoint Neuro, Inc.
$1,167
Alafair Biosciences, Inc.
$135
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$133
Top 3 companies account for 93.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Stryker Corporation
$7,295
ClearPoint Neuro, Inc.
$3,017
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$1,792
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,692
Abbott Laboratories
$1,692
InSightec,Inc
$1,470
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$707
Boston Scientific Corporation
$445
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$235
Alafair Biosciences, Inc.
$135
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$133
Nevro Corp.
$104
NeuroPace, Inc.
$69
SI-BONE, INC.
$63
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$56
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$47
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$17
Top 3 companies account for 63.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIVA · ADHERUS AUTOSPRAY ET DURAL SEALANT · CLEARPOINT · CORE · DRG leads · Exablate · FLOSEAL · GENERAL DBS · GENERAL DBS · General - DBS · INFINITY · Infinity DBS Pulse Generators · KESIMPTA · MULTIGEN 2 · NONE · O-ARM-Spine · PERCEPT PC BRAINSENSE · Percept · Proclaim DRG IPG · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · RNS System · SCS IPGs · SPINEJACK · SYNCHROMED · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · UNID_PASS · UNIVERSAL NEURO · UNIVERSAL NEURO 3 · VERCISE · VISUALASE · VNS Therapy · VersaWrap · ViviGen · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16
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 →

Most payments (63%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in Detroit?
Compare neurological surgerists in the Detroit area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurological surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
106
Per 100K population
6.0
County median income
$59,521
Nearest hospital
HENRY FORD HEALTH HOSPITAL
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. Air is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 19% of MI peers, with 19 years of NPI registration.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Air experienced with spinal neurostimulator electrode insertion?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Air performed 32 spinal neurostimulator electrode insertion 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. Air receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Air received a total of $18,972 from 17 companies across 104 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. Air's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Detroit?
Dr. Air's average Medicare payment per service is $167. 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. Air) 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 →
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. 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.

Provider corrections: Provider portal · Privacy questions: Privacy Policy · Terms: Terms of Use · Methodology: Methodology

Data Disclaimer — Data sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), Open Payments program, Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data, and Provider Enrollment & Certification data (PECOS). Published under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This website is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by CMS, HHS, or the U.S. Government. Data may contain errors as reported to CMS by providers and reporting entities. Payments from industry are legal and do not indicate wrongdoing. Medicare data reflects only patients aged 65+ or those with qualifying disabilities. For corrections, contact CMS directly. This information does not constitute medical advice and should not be used as the sole basis for choosing a healthcare provider. Procedure descriptions use plain language and do not reference CPT® codes, which are copyrighted by the American Medical Association. Full methodology → · Report a data error → · Privacy policy →