Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Brian McDonald, MD
Pulmonary Disease · Schenectady, NY
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
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. McDonald 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. McDonald
Dr. Brian McDonald is a pulmonary disease specialist in Schenectady, NY, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. McDonald performed 1,455 Medicare services across 789 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. McDonald received a total of $12,515 from 50 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 518 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pulmonary disease. 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. McDonald 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
▲ Top 28% volume in NY
$12,515 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,455
Medicare services
Top 28% in NY for pulmonary disease
789
Unique beneficiaries
$88
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~77 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
586 | $93 | $196 |
| 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. |
245 | $92 | $207 |
| Critical care, first 30-74 min Emergency medical care for a critically ill or injured patient lasting between 30 and 74 minutes. This service involves direct patient care and medical decision making to stabilize the patient. |
124 | $167 | $399 |
| Lung volume test using sensors A test that measures the amount of air in the lungs using sensors. |
73 | $40 | $95 |
| Pulmonary gas exchange test A test to examine how well the lungs exchange gases. |
72 | $43 | $98 |
| 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. |
71 | $64 | $143 |
| 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. |
68 | $136 | $376 |
| Spirometry test before and after medication A test that measures the amount of air you can exhale and the speed of your breathing before and after taking a medication. |
63 | $29 | $124 |
| Virtual check-in for established patient A brief communication service provided by a qualified healthcare professional to an established patient via technology, such as a virtual check-in. |
51 | $10 | $22 |
| Exercise-induced lung stress test A test performed to evaluate how the lungs function during physical exertion. It helps identify breathing difficulties or lung conditions that occur specifically when exercising. |
32 | $26 | $177 |
| Hospital discharge management, 30+ min This service covers the care provided by a physician or qualified healthcare professional on the day a patient is discharged from the hospital. It requires more than 30 minutes of total time spent on the day of discharge. |
25 | $90 | $207 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 18 | $160 | $386 |
| Additional 30 minutes of critical care This code represents an additional 30 minutes of critical care services provided beyond the initial critical care time period. |
16 | $84 | $191 |
| Expiratory airflow and volume test A test that measures the amount of air you can exhale and the speed at which you can breathe it out. It evaluates lung function by assessing expiratory airflow and volume. |
11 | $19 | $62 |
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 ↗$12,515
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,788/year across 7 years
Top 15% in NY for pulmonary disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
50
Companies
518
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
$12,153 (97.1%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$363 (2.9%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$3,672
2023
$1,946
2022
$1,636
2021
$1,504
2020
$991
2019
$1,579
2018
$1,187
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$1,641
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$489
Harmony Biosciences Llc
$172
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$169
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$145
ABBVIE INC.
$145
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$125
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$124
GENZYME CORPORATION
$115
Philips North America LLC
$93
Baxter Healthcare
$77
HARMONY BIOSCIENCES LLC
$69
Insmed, Inc.
$60
Amgen Inc.
$52
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$50
Pulmonx Corporation
$44
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$43
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$23
Grifols USA, LLC
$22
Shionogi Inc
$14
Top 3 companies account for 62.7% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$1,654
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$1,641
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$1,594
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$957
Pulmonx Corporation
$656
GENZYME CORPORATION
$460
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$378
Genentech USA, Inc.
$367
Ethicon Inc.
$318
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$306
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$260
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$254
ABBVIE INC.
$249
Grifols USA, LLC
$240
Electromed, Inc.
$230
Harmony Biosciences LLC
$210
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$199
Insmed, Inc.
$195
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$194
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$174
Harmony Biosciences Llc
$172
PFIZER INC.
$161
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$130
Shire North American Group Inc
$126
Amgen Inc.
$123
Baxter Healthcare
$122
Mylan Specialty L.P.
$119
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$106
Philips North America LLC
$93
HARMONY BIOSCIENCES LLC
$89
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$73
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$72
United Therapeutics Corporation
$66
Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc
$62
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$56
Shionogi Inc
$53
Covidien LP
$45
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$45
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$42
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$37
Mallinckrodt LLC
$26
CSL Behring
$24
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$23
ABIOMED
$22
Advanced Respiratory, Inc
$20
ADVANCED RESPIRATORY, INC
$18
Veran Medical Technologies, Inc.
$14
Ambu Inc.
$14
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, LLC
$12
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 39.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(8874) inCourage · (AK6) Vest Therapy · ACTHAR · AIRSUPRA · AMBISOME · ANDEXXA · ANORO ELLIPTA · AVYCAZ · Adempas · Arikayce · BEVYXXA · BREO · BREZTRI · BREZTRI AEROSPHERE · CHANTIX · CHARTIS CATHETER · CRESEMBA · DIFICID · DUPIXENT · Da Vinci Surgical System · ELIQUIS · Esbriet · FARXIGA · FASENRA · Fetroja · GLASSIA · Hillrom - Life 2000 Ventilation System · Hillrom - Monarch Airway Clearance System · Hillrom - Vest System Model 105 Home Care · Hillrom - VisiVest Airway Clearance System · Hizentra · Impella · KEYTRUDA · Life 2000 Ventilation System · MYCAMINE · Monarch Platform · NUCALA · OCTAGAM IMMUNE GLOBULIN (HUMAN) · OFEV · ORENITRAM · PREVNAR - 13 · Prolastin-C Liquid · Pulmonx Endobronchial Valve EBV · QVAR · SMARTVEST · SOLIRIS · SPIRIVA RESPIMAT · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SUNOSI · SYMBICORT · Spin · SuperDimension · TEFLARO · TERLIVAZ · TEZSPIRE · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TUDORZA PRESSAIR · TYVASO · The Vest System Model 105 Home Care · Trilogy 100 · UPTRAVI · Ultomiris · WAKIX · Wakix · Wellcentive Undiv · XARELTO · XOLAIR · XYWAV · Xolair · YUPELRI · Yupelri · ZERBAXA
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 (97%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
Pulmonary diseases within 10 mi
37
Per 100K population
23.2
County median income
$76,989
Nearest hospital
ELLIS HOSPITAL
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 reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. McDonald is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 28% in NY), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 15% of NY 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. McDonald experienced with hospital follow-up visit, high complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. McDonald performed 586 hospital follow-up visit, high complexity 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. McDonald receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. McDonald received a total of $12,515 from 50 companies across 518 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. McDonald's costs compare to other pulmonary diseases in Schenectady?
Dr. McDonald's average Medicare payment per service is $88. 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. McDonald) 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. 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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