Brian McCool, MD
Otolaryngology · Homewood, ALNPI 1730154972
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by food and beverage: $1,953 of the $2,753 with a category attached, or 70.9%. 20 manufacturers reported payments, led by Optinose US, Inc. at 45.1% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2020 at $1,110 and has fallen 71.9% since, to $311 in 2025.
Across 89 payments — averaging $30.93 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Optinose US, Inc.$1K
- Intersect ENT, Inc.$370
- GSK$191
- Sanofi$185
- Medtronic$110
- Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.$110
- plus $546 from 14 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$80029%
- Food & beverage$1,95371%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Optinose US, Inc. | 28 | $1,241 |
| Intersect ENT, Inc. | 14 | $370 |
| GSK | 8 | $191 |
| Sanofi | 6 | $185 |
| Medtronic | 3 | $110 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 4 | $110 |
| Kaleo, Inc. | 4 | $92 |
| Aerin Medical Inc. | 4 | $85 |
| Stryker | 3 | $59 |
| Alk-abello, Inc | 3 | $48 |
| Smith+Nephew | 1 | $43 |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA | 2 | $37 |
| AbbVie | 2 | $34 |
| Integra Lifesciences Corporation | 1 | $31 |
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 1 | $27 |
| Boston Scientific | 1 | $24 |
| Merck | 1 | $23 |
| Phadia US Inc. | 1 | $17 |
| Aytu Biopharma, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
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.
- Xhance$800
How this compares
$2,753 in reported general payments places this provider in the 65th percentile of 155 otolaryngology providers in Alabama.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ipratropium Bromide | 50 | $1,918 |
| Montelukast Sodium | 36 | $197 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other otolaryngology in Homewood
- John DavisHoover$251K
- William McFeelyHuntsville$70K
- Michael SillersBirmingham$53K
- Justin TurnerBirmingham$34K
- Bradford WoodworthBirmingham$27K
- Patrick OwensBirmingham$26K
- Kirk WithrowBirmingham$22K
- Do-Yeon ChoBirmingham$19K
- William BlytheOpelika$19K
- Andrew FusonBirmingham$18K
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.