Laura Merkel, MD
Obstetrics & Gynecology · Annapolis, MDNPI 1588988018
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 94.7% of the total across 143 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. It is spread thinly across 27 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 12.4% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. 2025 is the largest year on record at $1,022, 3.6 times the $281 reported in 2019.
Across 143 payments — averaging $22.29 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AbbVie$395
- Astellas Pharma US Inc$323
- Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.$285
- Sage Therapeutics, LLC$277
- Exeltis, USA Inc.$264
- Johnson & Johnson$248
- plus $1K from 21 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$3,01895%
- Education$1705%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVie | 20 | $395 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 11 | $323 |
| Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc. | 14 | $285 |
| Sage Therapeutics, LLC | 14 | $277 |
| Exeltis, USA Inc. | 15 | $264 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 7 | $248 |
| Organon | 8 | $173 |
| Bayer | 8 | $141 |
| Hologic Sales And Service, LLC | 3 | $131 |
| Pfizer | 6 | $114 |
| Merck | 5 | $95 |
| Aspira Women's Health Inc | 2 | $86 |
| Renovia Inc | 1 | $83 |
| Amgen | 4 | $82 |
| AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 4 | $70 |
| Mayne Pharma Commercial LLC | 4 | $70 |
| Millicent US Inc | 4 | $67 |
| Therapeuticsmd, Inc. | 3 | $56 |
| Myovant Sciences Inc. | 2 | $46 |
| Smith+Nephew | 1 | $45 |
| Scynexis, Inc. | 1 | $26 |
| Novo Nordisk | 1 | $25 |
| Avion Pharmaceuticals | 1 | $23 |
| Shield Therapeutics Inc | 1 | $21 |
| Meditrina | 1 | $14 |
| Coopersurgical, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Exact Sciences | 1 | $14 |
How this compares
$3,188 in reported general payments places this provider in the 80th percentile of 842 obstetrics & gynecology providers in Maryland.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Estradiol | 52 | $4,459 |
| ProgesteroneProgesterone, Micronized | 17 | $860 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other obstetrics & gynecology in Annapolis
- Jessica TonAnnapolis$6K
- Henry SobelAnnapolis$6K
- Otis StittSilver Spring$641K
- Danielle ShillerBaltimore$221K
- Matthew ReevesChevy Chase$149K
- Karen WangBaltimore$91K
- Rebecca StoneBaltimore$88K
- Abigail GregoryOakland$63K
- Christina EnzmannBaltimore$63K
- Lisa RarickChesapeake Beach$54K
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.