Brett Atwater, MD
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology · Fairfax, VANPI 1053376194
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — speaking fees (42.7%), consulting fees and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 18 manufacturers reported payments, led by Medtronic at 52.9% of the total. 2025 is the largest year on record at $113,218, 3.1 times the $36,428 reported in 2019. Among clinical cardiac electrophysiology clinicians in VA with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 496 payments — averaging $643.99 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Medtronic$169K
- Biosense Webster, Inc.$41K
- Abbott$40K
- Boston Scientific$17K
- Pfizer$15K
- E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.$14K
- plus $23K from 12 others
Across 121 payments — averaging $7176.04 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- Medtronic$505K
- Abbott$254K
- Biosense Webster, Inc.$70K
- Medical Device Business Services, Inc.$39K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$121,40038%
- Speaking & faculty fees$136,49443%
- Travel & lodging$44,20614%
- Food & beverage$17,2245%
- Education$960%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 261 | $168,895 |
| Biosense Webster, Inc. | 63 | $41,363 |
| Abbott | 87 | $40,234 |
| Boston Scientific | 23 | $17,279 |
| Pfizer | 5 | $14,600 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 3 | $14,180 |
| Biotronik Inc. | 31 | $13,074 |
| Medical Device Business Services, Inc. | 5 | $8,648 |
| Volta Medical Inc | 2 | $320 |
| Philips North America LLC | 3 | $222 |
| Atricure, Inc. | 4 | $200 |
| Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. | 1 | $181 |
| AstraZeneca | 2 | $84 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 2 | $48 |
| Cortex, Inc. | 1 | $32 |
| Merck | 1 | $26 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $21 |
| Baylis Medical Company Inc | 1 | $16 |
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.
- Carto 3$46,503
- Micra$24,598
- ELIQUIS$22,600
- AVEIR$13,872
- ACCENT$6,975
- GENERAL - THERAPIES$5,763
- TACTICATH ABLATION CATHETER, SENSOR ENABLED$5,641
- Carto 3 System$4,458
- AFFERA MAPPING SYSTEM$3,559
- Nanostim Leadleas Pacemaker$2,600
- SelectSecure$2,440
- Arctic Front$1,944
- Carto Smarttouch$1,925
- Agilis NxT EP Introducer$1,000
- Confirm Rx$913
- CareLink$778
- THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT$500
- DURATA$450
- Ensite Cardiac Mapping System$400
- Claria MRI$393
How this compares
$319,420 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 90 clinical cardiac electrophysiology providers in Virginia.
See all clinical cardiac electrophysiology providers in Virginia →
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 | 29 | $29,898 |
| MultaqDronedarone Hcl | 21 | $21,744 |
| Amiodarone Hcl | 13 | $955 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 29 | $375 |
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 | $14,600 | $29,89829 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 95th percentile of 90 clinical cardiac electrophysiology providers in Virginia.
Other clinical cardiac electrophysiology in Fairfax
- Stephen GaetaFairfax$85K
- Elizabeth HeldFairfax$84K
- Zachary HollisFairfax$23K
- Marc WishFairfax$22K
- David StrouseFairfax$18K
- Sarfraz DurraniFairfax$13K
- Kenneth EllenbogenRichmond$360K
- Oliver MonfrediCharlottesville$231K
- Peem LorvidhayaFredericksburg$230K
- Erich KiehlNewport News$181K
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.