Benjamin Potkin, MD
Cardiovascular Disease · Santa Cruz, CANPI 1740335090
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — speaking fees (53.1%), food and beverage and education — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 29 manufacturers reported payments, led by Johnson & Johnson at 58.3% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $13,557 and has fallen 86.4% since, to $1,847 in 2025. Among cardiovascular disease clinicians in CA with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 777 payments — averaging $44.64 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Johnson & Johnson$20K
- E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.$2K
- Amgen$2K
- Novo Nordisk$1K
- AstraZeneca$1K
- Abbott$976
- plus $8K from 23 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$3001%
- Speaking & faculty fees$18,41553%
- Food & beverage$15,37944%
- Education$5932%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson & Johnson | 100 | $20,225 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 123 | $1,898 |
| Amgen | 71 | $1,725 |
| Novo Nordisk | 47 | $1,160 |
| AstraZeneca | 49 | $1,045 |
| Abbott | 35 | $976 |
| Boston Scientific | 37 | $966 |
| Merck | 38 | $922 |
| Novartis | 67 | $899 |
| Biotronik Inc. | 22 | $805 |
| Pfizer | 50 | $786 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 37 | $763 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 39 | $622 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | 20 | $532 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 5 | $394 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 7 | $174 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 9 | $166 |
| Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, PLC | 6 | $141 |
| Portola Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 1 | $125 |
| Cleerly, Inc. | 1 | $101 |
| Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. | 2 | $46 |
| Lundbeck LLC | 2 | $44 |
| Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC | 2 | $41 |
| Octapharma USA, Inc. | 2 | $38 |
| Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc. | 1 | $23 |
| Bayer | 1 | $21 |
| Heartflow, Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| Gilead | 1 | $16 |
| AbbVie | 1 | $14 |
What the payments were tied to
Products named in the reported payments. Only payments of $100 or more are attributed here — the typical reported payment nationally is a meal worth about $16, and listing those product-by-product would be noise.
- XARELTO$18,943
- Fortify Assura, Ellipse ICD$243
- Wegovy$241
- JARDIANCE$236
- ELIQUIS$231
- Rivacor 7 DR-T$139
- CAMZYOS$126
- ANDEXXA$125
- Repatha$113
- Cleerly Ischemia$101
- Cleerly Labs$101
How this compares
$34,687 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 2,184 cardiovascular disease providers in California.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| EliquisApixaban | 961 | $1,106,435 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 254 | $293,964 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 185 | $204,021 |
| MultaqDronedarone Hcl | 104 | $125,023 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 73 | $100,165 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 73 | $87,560 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 68 | $72,111 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 57 | $52,644 |
| VerquvoVericiguat | 20 | $36,669 |
| BrilintaTicagrelor | 21 | $22,219 |
| Valsartan | 514 | $19,318 |
| Ranolazine ErRanolazine | 146 | $15,603 |
| Diltiazem 24hr Er (Cd)Diltiazem Hcl | 428 | $15,511 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 1,108 | $14,973 |
| Praluent PenAlirocumab | 17 | $12,292 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Companies that both paid and supply prescribed drugs
These companies both reported payments to this provider and make drugs the provider prescribed under Medicare Part D in 2024. For most specialties this overlap is expected — a cardiologist who is paid by a cardiology drugmaker also treats heart disease. It is shown so the reader can see it, not because it implies anything on its own.
| Company | Paid to this provider | Part D cost of their drugs |
|---|---|---|
| PfizerEliquis | $786 | $1,106,435961 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $20,225 | $293,964254 claims |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLCMultaq | $166 | $125,023104 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $899 | $100,16573 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $763 | $87,56073 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga, Brilinta | $1,045 | $74,86478 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $1,160 | $72,11168 claims |
| MerckVerquvo, Januvia | $922 | $42,75032 claims |
Reading this fairly. The Part D column is what drug plans and patients paid pharmacies — this provider received none of it, and it reflects how many patients they treat and what those drugs cost. Against peers, this provider's reported payments sit in the 90th percentile of 2,184 cardiovascular disease providers in California.
Other cardiovascular disease in Santa Cruz
- Ted LoveHillsborough$102.8M
- Paul KurthSanta Barbara$6.1M
- Jason RogersSacramento$4.4M
- Matthew BudoffTorrance$3.6M
- Eric Topolla Jolla$2.2M
- Cathleen Bairey-MerzLos Angeles$1.2M
- Gagan SinghSacramento$1.2M
- Pam Taubla Jolla$1.2M
- Wilber SuStanford$1.1M
- Thomas SmithSacramento$942K
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.