Michael Lao
Obstetrics & Gynecology · Charleston, WVNPI 1902920119
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — food and beverage (51.4%), education and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 28 manufacturers reported payments, led by Intuitive Surgical at 49.5% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2021 at $3,834 and has fallen 80.6% since, to $744 in 2025. Among obstetrics & gynecology clinicians in WV 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 168 payments — averaging $42.62 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Intuitive Surgical$4K
- AbbVie$536
- Astellas Pharma US Inc$441
- Pfizer$441
- Sage Therapeutics, LLC$286
- Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated$261
- plus $2K from 22 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$2003%
- Food & beverage$3,68051%
- Education$3,28146%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Intuitive Surgical | 8 | $3,545 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 30 | $536 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 14 | $441 |
| Pfizer | 26 | $441 |
| Sage Therapeutics, LLC | 14 | $286 |
| Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | 4 | $261 |
| Mayne Pharma Commercial LLC | 2 | $198 |
| Organon | 10 | $183 |
| Exeltis, USA Inc. | 10 | $170 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 4 | $122 |
| Biogen | 1 | $120 |
| Myovant Sciences Inc. | 6 | $114 |
| Bayer | 4 | $104 |
| Merck | 6 | $101 |
| Avion Pharmaceuticals | 6 | $95 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 1 | $83 |
| Hologic Sales And Service, LLC | 3 | $63 |
| Smith+Nephew | 3 | $51 |
| Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc. | 3 | $46 |
| AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 3 | $39 |
| Agile Therapeutics, Inc. | 2 | $37 |
| Boston Scientific | 2 | $31 |
| Aimmune Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $22 |
| Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Assertio Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Evofem Biosciences, Inc. | 1 | $13 |
| Therapeuticsmd, Inc. | 1 | $13 |
| Acessa Health Inc. | 1 | $12 |
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.
- Da Vinci Surgical System$3,309
- EXPAREL$250
- Zurzuvae$120
How this compares
$7,161 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 172 obstetrics & gynecology providers in West Virginia.
See all obstetrics & gynecology providers in West Virginia →
Other obstetrics & gynecology in Charleston
- Stephen BushCharleston$33K
- Paul DietzCharleston$14K
- David PattonCharleston$12K
- Scott NaegeleCharleston$8K
- David ThomasCharleston$7K
- Paul HunterCharleston$6K
- Dara AliffCharleston$3K
- Karinna AndrewsCharleston$3K
- Megan HarrisonCharleston$2K
- Michaela KesslerCharleston$2K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.