Aaron Macdonald, MD
Neurological Surgery · Anderson, SCNPI 1649282245
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — food and beverage (58.0%), travel and lodging and education — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 12 manufacturers reported payments, led by Brainlab, Inc. at 29.9% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $585 and has fallen 82.3% since, to $103 in 2025. That places this record below the midpoint for neurological surgery clinicians in SC, where the typical reported total is $2,843.
Across 61 payments — averaging $24.97 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Brainlab, Inc.$456
- Johnson & Johnson$403
- Cerapedics Inc.$184
- Abbott$114
- Globus Medical$90
- Nevro Corp.$71
- plus $206 from 6 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$45630%
- Food & beverage$88358%
- Education$18412%
Most of this is food and beverage — typically meals provided during product presentations at a clinic or hospital. Nationally that is the single largest category of reported payments by count.
General payments by program year
Who reported the general payments
Companies are grouped under their corporate parent — a single manufacturer often files under several CMS reporting entities. Research and ownership payments are counted separately and are not in this table.
| Company | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Brainlab, Inc. | 2 | $456 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 29 | $403 |
| Cerapedics Inc. | 6 | $184 |
| Abbott | 5 | $114 |
| Globus Medical | 6 | $90 |
| Nevro Corp. | 3 | $71 |
| Medtronic | 3 | $61 |
| Stryker | 2 | $42 |
| Boston Scientific | 2 | $41 |
| AstraZeneca | 1 | $23 |
| Vertex | 1 | $20 |
| Heron Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $19 |
How this compares
$1,523 in reported general payments places this provider in the 35th percentile of 114 neurological surgery providers in South Carolina.
Medicare billing
What this is not: this is the amount Original Medicare Part B allowed for services this provider billed in 2024. It is not their income. It excludes Medicare Advantage — now more than half of all Medicare enrollment — along with Medicaid and all commercial insurance, and it is gross practice revenue before staff, rent, supplies and malpractice premiums. CMS also suppresses any figure covering ten or fewer patients, so low-volume providers appear smaller than they are.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 30 | $313 |
| Gabapentin | 17 | $155 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 28 | $153 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 12 | $131 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other neurological surgery in Anderson
- Alejandro SpiottaCharleston$894K
- David JonesRock Hill$540K
- Sabino DagostinoLadson$425K
- Jan Vargas MachajGreenville$207K
- Michael CowanRock Hill$184K
- Jonathan LenaCharleston$110K
- Adam BackSpartanburg$99K
- Matthew NealCharleston$65K
- Sumeer LalGreenwood$65K
- Eugene GiddensMyrtle Beach$48K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Billing: Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, data year 2024. Original Medicare Part B only.
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.