Catherine Benziger, MD
Internal Medicine · Seattle, WANPI 1518266394
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by consulting fees: $10,500 of the $12,838 with a category attached, or 81.8%. Novartis accounts for 85.5% of it on its own, with 7 other manufacturers making up the rest. 2025 is the largest year on record at $6,447, more than ten times the $167 reported in 2019. Among internal medicine clinicians in WA 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 28 payments — averaging $458.51 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novartis$11K
- Medtronic$1K
- Boston Scientific$154
- Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.$137
- Astrazeneca UK Limited$135
- Abbott$60
- plus $82 from 2 others
Across 42 payments — averaging $26,150 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.
- Novartis$672K
- Amgen$396K
- AstraZeneca$30K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$10,50082%
- Travel & lodging$7686%
- Food & beverage$1,53812%
- Education$320%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Novartis | 7 | $10,982 |
| Medtronic | 13 | $1,289 |
| Boston Scientific | 3 | $154 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $137 |
| Astrazeneca UK Limited | 1 | $135 |
| Abbott | 1 | $60 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 1 | $50 |
| Novo Nordisk | 1 | $32 |
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.
- LEQVIO$10,918
- SYMPLICITY G3$976
- NEXLETOL$137
- NEXLIZET$137
How this compares
$12,838 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 2,038 internal medicine providers in Washington.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 157 | $163,728 |
| EliquisApixaban | 143 | $161,892 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 73 | $83,901 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 69 | $75,096 |
| TrulicityDulaglutide | 64 | $62,459 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 43 | $44,487 |
| RybelsusSemaglutide | 34 | $41,764 |
| Praluent PenAlirocumab | 29 | $32,424 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 22 | $31,356 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 33 | $24,477 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 26 | $23,299 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 14 | $5,550 |
| Ezetimibe | 175 | $3,366 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 230 | $3,306 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 255 | $2,852 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Novo NordiskOzempic, Rybelsus | $32 | $86,25177 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $10,982 | $23,29926 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 2,038 internal medicine providers in Washington.
Other internal medicine in Seattle
- Peter ShalitSeattle$1M
- Scott RamseySeattle$230K
- Michael CairnsSeattle$144K
- Peiqing QianSeattle$117K
- Kevin ChungSeattle$35K
- David DaleSeattle$35K
- Christopher DoddSeattle$12K
- Dedra BuchwaldSeattle$11K
- Thao NguyenSeattle$10K
- James FloydSeattle$10K
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.