Melinda Lawrence, MD
Anesthesiology · Cleveland, OHNPI 1023261476
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by food and beverage: $10,439 of the $13,654 with a category attached, or 76.5%. 21 manufacturers reported payments, led by Boston Scientific at 42.8% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $3,996 and has fallen 58.1% since, to $1,673 in 2025. Among anesthesiology clinicians in OH 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 139 payments — averaging $98.23 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Boston Scientific$6K
- Vertiflex, Inc.$2K
- Abbott$2K
- Nevro Corp.$909
- Vertos Medical, Inc.$860
- Globus Medical$485
- plus $2K from 15 others
Across 64 payments — averaging $3178.71 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.
- Boston Scientific$203K
- Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.$183
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$3,17823%
- Food & beverage$10,43976%
- Education$360%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Scientific | 68 | $5,843 |
| Vertiflex, Inc. | 6 | $1,875 |
| Abbott | 10 | $1,634 |
| Nevro Corp. | 7 | $909 |
| Vertos Medical, Inc. | 6 | $860 |
| Globus Medical | 4 | $485 |
| Stimwave Technologies Incorporated | 3 | $422 |
| Saluda Medical Americas, Inc. | 3 | $412 |
| MML US, Inc. | 2 | $376 |
| Averitas Pharma Inc. | 8 | $187 |
| SPR Therapeutics, Inc | 1 | $144 |
| Flowonix Medical Incorporated | 1 | $124 |
| Biodelivery Sciences International, Inc. | 1 | $120 |
| Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 5 | $80 |
| Relievant Medsystems, Inc. | 5 | $52 |
| Almatica Pharma LLC | 3 | $36 |
| Pfizer | 2 | $28 |
| Novartis | 1 | $27 |
| Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $17 |
| Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
| Assertio Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $11 |
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.
- WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16$2,039
- Superion ISS$1,706
- Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs$1,166
- GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT$1,138
- SPECTRA WAVEWRITER$845
- mild Device Kit$734
- Senza$588
- StimQ Receiver Stimulator Kit Channel A US w Receiver$422
- StimQ Freedom 4A Receiver Kit Channel A US Receiver$422
- StimQ Freedom 8A Receiver Kit Channel A US w Receiver$422
- Freedom 4A Receiver Kit Channel A US w Receiver$422
- Freedom 8A Receiver Kit Channel A US w Receiver$422
- ReActiv8$376
- WAVEWRITER ALPHA$347
- Omnia$345
- ETERNA$295
- Evoke$277
- Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System$270
- SUPERION$146
- PROCLAIM$145
How this compares
$13,654 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 1,623 anesthesiology providers in Ohio.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Gabapentin | 1,144 | $15,575 |
| GraliseGabapentin | 13 | $12,015 |
| Topiramate | 251 | $3,368 |
| Duloxetine Hcl | 137 | $1,552 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 149 | $937 |
| Amitriptyline Hcl | 69 | $808 |
| Pregabalin | 27 | $597 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | 72 | $578 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 40 | $521 |
| Methylprednisolone | 74 | $482 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 24 | $301 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 87 | $296 |
| Meloxicam | 56 | $59 |
| Mupirocin | 13 | $50 |
| Diazepam | 11 | $6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Almatica Pharma LLCGralise | $36 | $12,01513 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 1,623 anesthesiology providers in Ohio.
Other anesthesiology in Cleveland
- Sabry AyadCleveland$427K
- Edwin AveryCleveland$194K
- Hesham ElsharkawyCleveland$189K
- Basem AbdelmalakCleveland$147K
- Daniel SesslerCleveland$140K
- Andrew ShawCleveland$112K
- Michael SmithCleveland$75K
- Adi CosicCleveland$57K
- Sameam ShahrestaniCleveland$57K
- Peter SchoenwaldCleveland$55K
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.