Device Spine

Spotlight

Payments companies reported to CMS as associated with Spotlight. "Associated with" is CMS's wording: it links a payment to a product without saying the money was spent on it.

$404Kassociated payments (2023-2025)

195clinicians with associated payments

12companies reporting

By year

2023 $68K

2024 $4,800

2025 $331K

Payments reported as associated with Spotlight, per program year, as reported to CMS.

Who makes it

Specialties most often involved

Neurological Surgery $201K

Vascular Neurology $62K

Vascular & Interventional Radiology $36K

Neurology (Psychiatry & Neurology) $28K

Diagnostic Radiology $24K

Neuroradiology $15K

Where the associated payments went, by the receiving clinician's specialty.

Clinicians most associated with Spotlight

These are the largest totals companies reported as associated with Spotlight. They are typically speaking or consulting arrangements, which companies must report by law; appearing here is not evidence of anything improper.

Clinician	Location	Specialty	Associated payments (2023-2025)
Michael Wang	Miami, FL	Neurological Surgery	$39,632.50
Osama Zaidat	Toledo, OH	Vascular Neurology	$28,000.00
David Liebeskind	Los Angeles, CA	Neurology (Psychiatry & Neurology)	$27,950.00
Christopher Kellner	New York, NY	Neurological Surgery	$16,500.00
Charles Matouk	New Haven, CT	Neurological Surgery	$16,060.00
Edgar Samaniego	Iowa City, IA	Vascular & Interventional Radiology	$15,805.00
Amin Aghaebrahim	Jacksonville, FL	Vascular Neurology	$14,000.00
Ramesh Grandhi	Salt Lake City, UT	Neurological Surgery	$12,500.00
Tapan Mehta	Hartford, CT	Vascular Neurology	$12,000.00
Christopher Stapleton	Chicago, IL	Neurological Surgery	$11,900.00

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What this means, and what it doesn't

These payments are legal and common. Drug and device makers routinely pay for meals at educational events, consulting, speaking, travel, and research. Companies are required by federal law to report them; that's why this data exists.
A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Most clinicians who accept industry payments provide excellent care. Research payments in particular often reflect participation in clinical trials.
Context beats raw numbers. A few hundred dollars in sandwiches over several years is typical. What's worth understanding is scale, source, and purpose, which is what this page shows.
The data comes from companies, not doctors. Figures are "as reported to CMS" by the paying companies. Clinicians can dispute records through CMS's official process.

Source: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019-2025, as reported to CMS by drug and device makers (published June 30, 2026). Drug and device detail covers 2023-2025.