Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Byron Branch, MD

Neurological Surgery · Concord, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
110 LAKE CONCORD RD NE, Concord, NC 28025
7047922672
In practice since 2009 (17 years)
NPI: 1801039052 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. Branch 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. Branch

Dr. Byron Branch is a neurological surgery specialist in Concord, NC, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Branch performed 372 Medicare services across 348 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Branch received a total of $85,100 from 18 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 195 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. 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. Branch 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.

✓ 17 years in practice ▲ Top 35% volume in NC $85,100 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
372
Medicare services
Top 35% in NC for neurological surgery
348
Unique beneficiaries
$135
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~22 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
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.
61 $66 $138
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.
48 $133 $277
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 47 $160 $399
MRI of lower spine, without contrast
A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the lower spinal canal that does not use contrast dye to create detailed images of the spine.
40 $92 $1,475
New patient office visit (30-44 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range.
40 $83 $244
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views
An X-ray imaging test that captures 2 to 3 views of the lower back and sacral spine to visualize the bones and joints in this area.
27 $30 $125
Computer-assisted spinal procedure
A surgical or diagnostic procedure involving the spine that utilizes computer technology to assist with planning, navigation, or execution.
18 $175 $1,092
MRI of upper spine without contrast
An MRI scan of the upper spinal canal that does not use contrast dye. This imaging test uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed pictures of the spine.
17 $88 $1,475
X-ray of upper spine, 2-3 views
An X-ray imaging test of the upper spine using two to three different angles to visualize the bones and structures.
16 $28 $96
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service.
16 $62 $130
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum of 4 views
An X-ray imaging test of the lower back and sacrum using at least four different angles to visualize the bones and joints.
15 $39 $132
Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments
Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back.
14 $578 $3,145
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, 1 segment
A surgical procedure involving the partial removal of a bone segment in the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. This is performed on a single spinal segment.
13 $748 $3,995
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 ↗
$85,100
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $12,157/year across 7 years
Top 14% in NC for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
18
Companies
195
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
$70,902 (83.3%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$10,635 (12.5%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$3,563 (4.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$12,873
2023
$3,628
2022
$15,112
2021
$21,334
2020
$1,473
2019
$26,149
2018
$4,531

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Globus Medical, Inc.
$8,691
Medtronic, Inc.
$3,563
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$605
Baxter Healthcare
$14
Top 3 companies account for 99.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$39,647
DePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
$13,192
Globus Medical, Inc.
$11,352
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$8,794
LifeNet Health
$4,725
Medtronic, Inc.
$4,232
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$1,418
Stryker Corporation
$1,112
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$159
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$123
Baxter Healthcare
$123
Boston Scientific Corporation
$76
7D Surgical Inc.
$37
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$36
Bioventus LLC
$23
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$22
Biocomposites Inc
$15
PARADIGM SPINE, LLC
$12
Top 3 companies account for 75.4% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACIS · ACP · ADAPTIX INTERBODY SYSTEM WITH TITAN NANOLOCK SURFACE TECHNOLOGY · ALIF · ARTiC-L · CD HORIZON · CD HORIZON SPINAL SYSTEM · CONDUIT · CONFIDENCE · CORE · CREO ADDITION · DIVERGENCE-L · ELEVATE · EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM · EXPEDIUM · Excelsius - GPS · Excelsius3D Imaging System · ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Navigation System · FLOSEAL · GELSYN 3 · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · Gliadel · I/C Graft Chamber · INFINITY OCT System · Intracept · MAZOR X SYSTEM · MEDTRONIC REUSABLE INSTRUMENTS · MOUNTAINEER · MazorX - Renaissance · NAVIGATION · NEURO FIXATION · O-ARM-Spine · PERCLOT · PIVOX Oblique Lateral Spinal System · RISE-L · RISE-L . RISE-L A/L · SKYLINE · SPACE-D SYSTEM 5.5/6.0 VOYAGER INSTRUMENT SET · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · STEALTH AUTOGUIDE SYSTEM · SYMPHONY · Stimulan · Teligen · Thinflap · UNID_PASS · VIPER · VMIS · Vertigraft · ViviGen · WAVEWRITER ALPHA · coflex · nanoLOCK-C
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 (83%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.

Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in Concord?
Compare neurological surgerists in the Concord area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
39
Per 100K population
16.9
County median income
$86,084
Nearest hospital
CAROLINAS MEDICAL CENTER-NORTHEAST
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. Branch is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 14% of NC peers, with 17 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. Branch experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Branch performed 61 office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 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. Branch receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Branch received a total of $85,100 from 18 companies across 195 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. Branch's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Concord?
Dr. Branch's average Medicare payment per service is $135. 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. Branch) 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 →