Mark Syms, MD
Otology & Neurotology · Phoenix, AZNPI 1255310462
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — travel and lodging (46.2%), consulting fees and food and beverage — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 8 manufacturers reported payments, led by Cochlear Americas at 49.7% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $2,885 and has fallen 86.1% since, to $400 in 2024.
Across 36 payments — averaging $121.15 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Cochlear Americas$2K
- Cochlear Ltd$1K
- Medical Device Business Services, Inc.$825
- Travere Therapeutics, Inc.$88
- Acclarent, Inc$72
- Med-el Corporation$66
- plus $77 from 2 others
Across 20 payments — averaging $10,807 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.
- Cochlear Americas$216K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$1,20028%
- Travel & lodging$2,01646%
- Food & beverage$1,07725%
- Education$682%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cochlear Americas | 12 | $2,167 |
| Cochlear Ltd | 2 | $1,067 |
| Medical Device Business Services, Inc. | 4 | $825 |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 13 | $88 |
| Acclarent, Inc | 1 | $72 |
| Med-el Corporation | 2 | $66 |
| Advanced Bionics, LLC | 1 | $58 |
| Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $19 |
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.
How this compares
Too few otology & neurotology providers in Arizonato place this figure against a meaningful peer group, so we don't.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Neomycin-Polymyxin-HydrocortNeomycin/Polymyxin B/Hydrocort | 66 | $3,325 |
| Ciprofloxacin-DexamethasoneCiprofloxacin Hcl/Dexameth | 18 | $2,161 |
| Ibuprofen | 66 | $282 |
| Meclizine Hcl | 30 | $120 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other otology & neurotology in Phoenix
- Deborah XiePhoenix$7K
- Samuel BarberPhoenix$3K
- John MaciasPhoenix$480
- Abraham JacobTucson$21K
- Thomas KangOro Valley$6K
- Adam CassisChandler$6K
- Peter WeisskopfScottsdale$3K
- Michael FucciChandler$723
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.