---
title: What industry pays physicians in California (CMS Open Payments 2024)
state: California
program_year: 2024
general_payments: 301875917
physicians: 94737
source: CMS — Open Payments (Physician Payments Sunshine Act), program year 2024
sourceId: src:cms:open-payments:py2024
---

# Industry payments to physicians — California (2024)

In California, drug and device makers reported **$301,875,917** in general payments to **94,737** covered recipients (physicians and other clinicians) for program year 2024 (mean $3,186 each), plus $1,040,550,200 tied to research and $90,844,341 in ownership interests.

**A payment is a disclosed financial tie, not proof of wrongdoing** — many are research grants, consulting fees, or device royalties. Transparency, not a verdict.

## Top specialties

| Specialty | Total | Physicians | Mean per physician |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | $23,876,290 | 1,200 | $19,897 |
| Ophthalmology | $13,944,709 | 1,683 | $8,286 |
| Sports Medicine | $11,181,575 | 437 | $25,587 |
| Internal Medicine | $10,736,318 | 5,490 | $1,956 |
| Unspecified | $9,510,620 | 4,439 | $2,143 |
| Dermatology | $9,303,957 | 1,239 | $7,509 |
| Hematology & Oncology | $8,945,321 | 979 | $9,137 |
| Cardiovascular Disease | $8,768,624 | 1,563 | $5,610 |
| Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine | $8,543,528 | 233 | $36,668 |
| Neurology | $8,156,106 | 1,152 | $7,080 |
| Surgery | $8,089,992 | 1,493 | $5,419 |
| Neurological Surgery | $8,025,784 | 555 | $14,461 |

## Highest-paid physicians (general payments)

| Physician | Specialty | Total | Top payer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Daniel Schwartz | Ophthalmology | $7,852,269 | RxSight Inc |
| William Binder | Plastic Surgery Within the Head and Neck | $7,420,997 | AbbVie Inc. |
| Neal Elattrache | Sports Medicine | $6,849,431 | Arthrex, Inc. |
| Christian Eversull | Internal Medicine | $2,789,461 | Medtronic, Inc. |
| Robert Gorab | Orthopaedic Surgery | $2,525,594 | DePuy Synthes Products, Inc. |
| Clifford Ruddle | Endodontics | $2,193,679 | Dentsply Sirona Inc |
| Michael Scianamblo | Endodontics | $2,099,312 | Dentsply Sirona Inc |
| Thomas Coon | Orthopaedic Surgery | $1,953,625 | Stryker Corporation |
| Stephen Howell | Orthopaedic Surgery | $1,830,706 | Medacta USA, Inc. |
| Timothy Chuter | Surgery | $1,667,894 | Cook Incorporated |
| John Dearborn | Adult Reconstructive Orthopaedic Surgery | $1,599,852 | Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. |
| William Maloney | Adult Reconstructive Orthopaedic Surgery | $1,500,626 | Stryker Corporation |
| Nirav Amin | Orthopaedic Surgery | $1,356,227 | Linvatec Corporation |
| Hyun Bae | Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine | $1,227,422 | DePuy Synthes Products, Inc. |
| Christopher Ames | Neurological Surgery | $1,165,780 | Medtronic, Inc. |
| Sam Khalifian | Procedural Dermatology | $1,092,828 | AbbVie Inc. |
| Sigurd Berven | Orthopaedic Surgery | $1,075,937 | Medtronic, Inc. |
| Christopher Kreulen | Orthopaedic Surgery | $1,066,686 | Arthrex, Inc. |
| Gustavo Alva | Psychiatry | $1,051,279 | Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. |
| Paul Kurth | Cardiovascular Disease | $960,894 | Merit Medical Systems Inc |
| Nathaniel Cohen | Sports Medicine | $944,620 | Smith+Nephew, Inc. |
| Stephen Sherwin | Medical Oncology | $902,213 | Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. |
| Aaron Berez | Neuroradiology | $841,267 | Medtronic, Inc. |
| Robert Eastlack | Orthopaedic Surgery | $809,045 | SI-BONE, Inc. |
| Alan Hirahara | Orthopaedic Surgery | $784,202 | Arthrex, Inc. |

RECORDED CMS Open Payments amounts/counts; totals, means, and rankings are DERIVED. A disclosure record — not evidence of improper influence, not a measure of physician quality, not advice. To verify a physician, search openpaymentsdata.cms.gov. Source: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/

Structured data: `/care/open-payments/ca.jsonld` · National: `/care/open-payments`