Medicare Enrolled

Dr. James Macdonald, M.D.

Neurology · Smithfield, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
507 N BRIGHTLEAF BLVD, Smithfield, NC 27577
9199373022
In practice since 2008 (18 years)
NPI: 1235304825 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. Macdonald 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. Macdonald? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Macdonald

Dr. James Macdonald is a neurology specialist in Smithfield, NC, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Macdonald performed 664 Medicare services across 514 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Macdonald received a total of $4,821 from 45 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 240 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurology. 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. Macdonald 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.

✓ 18 years in practice ▲ Top 30% volume in NC $4,821 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
664
Medicare services
Top 30% in NC for neurology
514
Unique beneficiaries
$77
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~37 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.
307 $61 $196
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.
84 $61 $218
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.
74 $101 $478
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.
46 $93 $277
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.
39 $75 $253
Initial hospital admission, high complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
36 $135 $574
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity
Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
21 $93 $319
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.
17 $113 $404
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.
16 $106 $388
Initial hospital admission, low complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving straightforward or low-level medical decision making, with at least 40 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
13 $57 $307
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 11 $127 $475
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 ↗
$4,821
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $689/year across 7 years
Top 31% in NC for neurology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
45
Companies
240
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
$4,708 (97.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$113 (2.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$226
2023
$391
2022
$730
2021
$1,278
2020
$357
2019
$1,020
2018
$817

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$135
Lundbeck LLC
$29
Lilly USA, LLC
$18
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
$16
Celgene Corporation
$15
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc
$13
Top 3 companies account for 80.3% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$895
Amgen Inc.
$391
UCB, Inc.
$325
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$263
Lilly USA, LLC
$257
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$243
Lundbeck LLC
$167
AbbVie Inc.
$138
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$137
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$131
EMD Serono, Inc.
$128
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$128
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc
$126
Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$121
Biogen, Inc.
$110
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$92
SK Life Science, Inc.
$90
Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$79
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$69
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$68
Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC
$67
Kyowa Kirin, Inc.
$66
Celgene Corporation
$58
CSL Behring
$57
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$54
Neurelis, Inc.
$54
US WorldMeds, LLC
$46
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$45
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$42
Allergan, Inc.
$39
ABBVIE INC.
$38
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
$35
PFIZER INC.
$32
Bausch Health US, LLC
$32
Avion Pharmaceuticals
$29
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$23
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$22
Impax Laboratories, Inc.
$17
Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc.
$17
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$17
EISAI INC.
$16
MDD US Operations, LLC
$15
Nevro Corp.
$14
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$13
Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc
$12
Top 3 companies account for 33.4% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADUHELM · AIMOVIG · AIRSUPRA · AJOVY · AMYVID · APOKYN · AUSTEDO · Aimovig · BENLYSTA · Briviact · COMIRNATY · COPAXONE · Cimzia · Dayvigo · Dhivy · EMGALITY · Enbrel · FARXIGA · GOCOVRI · Hizentra · INBRIJA · INGREZZA · KESIMPTA · KEVZARA · KEVZARA SARILUMAB INJECTION · KYNMOBI · LUPKYNIS · MAVENCLAD · MIGRANAL · Mavenclad · NORTHERA · NOURIANZ · NUEDEXTA · NURTEC ODT · Neupro · Nuedexta · OXTELLAR XR · Omnia · PAXLOVID · Ponvory · QULIPTA · REXULTI · RYTARY · Rebif · Repatha · SOLIRIS · TECFIDERA · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TROKENDI XR · Trulance · UBRELVY · ULTOMIRIS · VALTOCO · VNS - Sentiva · VUMERITY · VYEPTI · Vimpat · XIFAXAN · XIFAXANIBSD · XYREM · Xadago · ZEPATIER · ZEPOSIA
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 (98%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a neurology specialist in Smithfield?
Compare neurologists in the Smithfield area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurologists nearby

Geographic Context

Neurologists within 10 mi
3
Per 100K population
1.3
County median income
$79,838
Nearest hospital
JOHNSTON HEALTH
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. Macdonald is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 30% in NC), with low-engagement industry engagement, with 18 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. Macdonald experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Macdonald performed 307 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. Macdonald receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Macdonald received a total of $4,821 from 45 companies across 240 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. Macdonald's costs compare to other neurologists in Smithfield?
Dr. Macdonald's average Medicare payment per service is $77. 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. Macdonald) 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 →