11 NM docs paid over $1M by Medicare

April 15--Eleven New Mexico medical providers took in more than $1 million in Medicare payments in 2012, but none topped the $3 million threshold that will trigger an automatic federal government review of providers' billing.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services just released a database that detailed how much Medicare paid 825,000 individual providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physical therapists and other professionals. The database includes only payments made to medical providers under Medicare Part B. That means it does not include payments made by Medicare Advantage plans.

CMS said 344 providers nationwide were paid more than $3 million nationwide.

A Journal analysis of the data found that Roswell-based rheumatologist Thomas Ramage was paid $2.47 million, the most Medicare paid to a New Mexico physician.

In a telephone interview, Ramage said that much of the money passed through his practice to the drug companies that provide medications he infuses at his clinics in Roswell and Lovington.

Ramage, a physician for 37 years, says he spends about $300,000 a month for drugs. In addition to Medicare patients, he treats Medicaid patients. About 30 percent of his patients have commercial insurance.

Rheumatologists treat a variety of chronic soft-tissue and joint diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. The CMS records show almost all of the 122,000 services for which Ramage billed Medicare involved injecting or infusing drugs into patients, many of them to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Ramage said he can perform infusion services less expensively than a hospital can and that he is one of the few rheumatologists in the eastern part of the state.

Of the 2,161 medical providers in Albuquerque in the CMS database, only two -- both ophthalmologists with Eye Associates of New Mexico -- topped the $1 million mark. Mark Chiu was paid $1.15 million by Medicare, and Arthur Weinstein was paid $1.24 million, according to CMS.

Eye Associates did not respond to the Journal's request for comment.

The Journal identified 14 providers in Albuquerque who were paid at least $500,000. Six were ophthalmologists, two were dermatologists, five were oncologists, and one was a general surgeon.

Ophthalmology practices were among those receiving higher Medicare payments both nationally and in New Mexico. Physicians told The Associated Press that is because many of their Medicare patients have chronic age-related eye diseases that require regular drug treatment. They say much of their payment goes to drug companies.

Two Santa Fe physicians out of 429 providers in Santa Fe were paid more than $1 million. Nyun Han, a radiation oncologist, was paid $1.69 million, and Michael Heeg, an ophthalmologist, was paid $1.36 million.

Other million-dollar payments went to:

--Bishnu Rauth, a hematologist/oncologist in Las Cruces, $1.42 million.

--Terry Boulware, a cardiologist in Las Cruces, $1.66 million.

<p>--Aurelio Castrellon, a hematologist/oncologist in Farmington, $1.22 million.

--Mark Bevan, a nephrologist in Farmington, $1.13 million.

--Edgard Badine, an internist in Roswell, $1.5 million.

--Oladipo Adeniyi, a nephrologist in Gallup, $1 million.

Payments spanned a large range. Albuquerque anesthesiologist Janet Bierley was paid $522 in 2012 for treating 13 patients. She billed Medicare$270 per patient on average and was paid $40 on average. Only about 9 percent of Albuquerque providers were paid more than $100,000.

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