Justin Merkow, MD
Pain Medicine · Englewood, CONPI 1578829016
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by food and beverage: $15,164 of the $24,403 with a category attached, or 62.1%. 36 manufacturers reported payments, led by Abbott at 27.8% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2023 at $9,996 and has fallen 82.7% since, to $1,730 in 2025. Among pain medicine clinicians in CO 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 385 payments — averaging $63.39 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Abbott$7K
- Boston Scientific$4K
- Medtronic$2K
- Nevro Corp.$2K
- MML US, Inc.$1K
- Relievant Medsystems, Inc.$1K
- plus $7K from 30 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$4,40018%
- Travel & lodging$4,39518%
- Food & beverage$15,16462%
- Education$4442%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Abbott | 32 | $6,782 |
| Boston Scientific | 82 | $4,257 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 32 | $2,454 |
| Nevro Corp. | 18 | $1,598 |
| MML US, Inc. | 8 | $1,417 |
| Relievant Medsystems, Inc. | 13 | $1,392 |
| Spinal Simplicity, LLC | 14 | $1,123 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 45 | $1,056 |
| Saluda Medical Americas, Inc. | 9 | $978 |
| Painteq LLC | 6 | $558 |
| Vertos Medical, Inc. | 8 | $444 |
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 29 | $405 |
| Lundbeck LLC | 14 | $253 |
| Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 14 | $234 |
| Nalu Medical, Inc. | 3 | $192 |
| Averitas Pharma Inc. | 8 | $177 |
| Stryker | 1 | $163 |
| SPR Therapeutics, Inc | 4 | $163 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 8 | $129 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 5 | $96 |
| Pfizer | 5 | $85 |
| GRT US Holding, Inc. | 7 | $82 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. | 3 | $50 |
| IBSA Pharma Inc. | 2 | $38 |
| Amgen | 2 | $36 |
| Radius Health, Inc. | 2 | $35 |
| Tonix Medicines, Inc. | 1 | $31 |
| Convatec Inc. | 1 | $30 |
| Bioventus LLC | 2 | $28 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $25 |
| Si-bone, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Curonix LLC | 1 | $15 |
| Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Idorsia Pharmaceuticals US Inc | 1 | $14 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 1 | $13 |
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.
- PROCLAIM$5,188
- Intracept$4,631
- ReActiv8$1,365
- SYNCHROMED$1,221
- Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System$1,030
- HA MINUTEMAN G3-R$870
- GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT$821
- Axium INS DRG IPG$624
- Evoke$547
- PAINTEQ$500
- mild Device Kit$460
- Evoke SCS$339
- INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM$321
- WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16$266
- ETERNA$241
- KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty$174
- Nalu Neurostimulation System$144
- PROTG$142
- Accurian$141
- BOTOX$123
How this compares
$24,403 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 96 pain medicine providers in Colorado.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| BelbucaBuprenorphine Hcl | 15 | $11,972 |
| Fentanyl | 13 | $5,237 |
| Buprenorphine | 16 | $4,378 |
| Gabapentin | 150 | $2,469 |
| Pregabalin | 80 | $2,254 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 135 | $2,198 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 72 | $1,316 |
| Methocarbamol | 73 | $1,224 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 44 | $1,192 |
| Lidocaine | 12 | $957 |
| Morphine Sulfate ErMorphine Sulfate | 27 | $848 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | 60 | $691 |
| Cyclobenzaprine Hcl | 46 | $644 |
| Hydromorphone Hcl | 29 | $413 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 34 | $380 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.Belbuca | $405 | $11,97215 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 96 pain medicine providers in Colorado.
Other pain medicine in Englewood
- Donald BernardiniEnglewood$102K
- Christopher HuserEnglewood$14K
- Iasson YiEnglewood$13K
- Lauren McLaughlin-AbramsEnglewood$10K
- Robert MoghimGolden$273K
- Jack RentzGreenwood Village$264K
- Haley BurkeAurora$55K
- Amar PatelThornton$47K
- David ColumbusLoveland$30K
- Matthew PouliotFort Collins$26K
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.