Dr. Brian Howard, MD
Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology (Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology Physician)
- Medicare participating
At a glance
- Years since graduation
- 17
- In the NPI registry since
- 2009
- Medicare patients seen, 2024
- 110
The NPI date is when this clinician registered for a National Provider Identifier, the billing number used on health claims. It is not a license, graduation or board-certification date. What an NPI is
Education and training
- 2009Registered with an NPI (national billing number; not a license date)
Medicare’s Care Compare data doesn’t list this clinician’s medical school. Undergraduate school, residency, fellowship, licensing exams and board certification aren’t in public federal data. Board certification can be confirmed with the certifying board (ABMS member boards for MDs, AOA boards for DOs).
Specialties and state licenses
-
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology Physician primary
GA license 70275
As reported to the NPI registry. To confirm a license is current, check the state medical board.
Map: Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology per capita by county →
Where they work
Hospitals
- Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center Marietta, GA
- Wellstar Cobb Medical Center Austell, GA
- Wellstar PAulding Medical Center Hiram, GA
- Wellstar Douglas Medical Center Douglasville, GA
Medical groups
- Wellstar Medical Group LLC (3,093 clinicians)
Hospitals this clinician lists with Medicare, and groups they bill Medicare through (Care Compare). Affiliation doesn’t mean they see patients at every location.
Medicare patients and services
- Medicare patients, 2024
- 110
- Services billed
- 472
- Patients’ average age
- 68
| Service | Times | Patients |
|---|---|---|
| Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-39 minutes | 128 | 60 |
| Evaluation of lower heart chamber assist device | 80 | 15 |
| Subsequent hospital care with moderate levelof medical decision making, if using time, at least 50 minutes | 65 | 25 |
| Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 40-54 minutes | 56 | 33 |
| Critical care, first 30-74 minutes | 35 | 12 |
| New patient office or other outpatient visit, 60-74 minutes | 27 | 27 |
| Ultrasound of heart with color-depicted blood flow, rate, direction and valve function | 22 | 22 |
Medicare fee-for-service only. CMS leaves out services billed for fewer than 11 patients. These figures describe a practice’s Medicare work; they aren’t a measure of quality.
Medicare prescriptions
| Drug | Prescriptions |
|---|---|
| Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan) Other prescribers in Marietta, GA | 146 |
| Metoprolol Succinate Other prescribers in Marietta, GA | 118 |
| Spironolactone Other prescribers in Marietta, GA | 109 |
| Jardiance (empagliflozin) Other prescribers in Marietta, GA | 103 |
| Carvedilol Other prescribers in Marietta, GA | 86 |
| Torsemide Other prescribers in Marietta, GA | 72 |
| Farxiga (dapagliflozin propanediol) Other prescribers in Marietta, GA | 70 |
| Furosemide Other prescribers in Marietta, GA | 69 |
| Warfarin Sodium Other prescribers in Marietta, GA | 51 |
| Eliquis (apixaban) Other prescribers in Marietta, GA | 43 |
Prescriptions filled under Medicare Part D, including refills. CMS leaves out drugs prescribed fewer than 11 times.
Payments from drug and device companies
In 2025, 14 companies reported 58 payments worth $11,881 in total to this clinician.
| Cvrx, Inc. | $8,312 |
|---|---|
| Abbott Laboratories | $2,892 |
| Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. | $109 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | $91.74 |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | $82.80 |
| Zoll Services LLC (a/k/a Zoll Lifecor Corp) | $79.90 |
| Pfizer Inc. | $70.45 |
| Novo Nordisk Inc | $60.59 |
| Consulting Fee | $8,389 |
|---|---|
| Food and Beverage | $1,818 |
| Travel and Lodging | $1,649 |
| Education | $25.70 |
What the payments were for
| Company | What it was for | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cvrx, Inc. Nov 12, 2025 | Consulting Fee Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension | $5,425 |
| Abbott Laboratories Oct 14, 2025 | Consulting Fee THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Structural Heart | $1,600 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Aug 20, 2025 | Travel and Lodging Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension · travel to Atlanta, GA | $879 |
| Abbott Laboratories Oct 14, 2025 | Consulting Fee THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Structural Heart | $632 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Dec 15, 2025 | Travel and Lodging Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension · travel to Atlanta, GA | $357 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Oct 13, 2025 | Travel and Lodging Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension · travel to Minneapolis, MN | $353 |
| Abbott Laboratories Oct 14, 2025 | Consulting Fee THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Structural Heart | $332 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Sep 3, 2025 | Consulting Fee Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension | $200 |
| Abbott Laboratories Oct 14, 2025 | Consulting Fee THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Structural Heart | $200 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Aug 20, 2025 | Travel and Lodging Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension · travel to Minneapolis, MN | $34.00 |
All 12 payments other than meals, newest first
| Company | What it was for | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cvrx, Inc. Dec 15, 2025 | Travel and Lodging Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension · travel to Atlanta, GA | $357 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Dec 15, 2025 | Travel and Lodging Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension · travel to Austin, TX | $26.00 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Nov 12, 2025 | Consulting Fee Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension | $5,425 |
| Abbott Laboratories Oct 14, 2025 | Consulting Fee THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Structural Heart | $1,600 |
| Abbott Laboratories Oct 14, 2025 | Consulting Fee THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Structural Heart | $632 |
| Abbott Laboratories Oct 14, 2025 | Consulting Fee THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Structural Heart | $332 |
| Abbott Laboratories Oct 14, 2025 | Consulting Fee THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Structural Heart | $200 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Oct 13, 2025 | Travel and Lodging Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension · travel to Minneapolis, MN | $353 |
| Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC Oct 2, 2025 | Education in-kind | $25.70 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Sep 3, 2025 | Consulting Fee Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension | $200 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Aug 20, 2025 | Travel and Lodging Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension · travel to Atlanta, GA | $879 |
| Cvrx, Inc. Aug 20, 2025 | Travel and Lodging Barostim Neo System · Heart Failure and Hypertension · travel to Minneapolis, MN | $34.00 |
Each payment as the company reported it, with the products it named. Meals are counted in the totals above but not listed one by one.
From CMS Open Payments. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing; many are for consulting, teaching or meals. Clinicians can review and dispute their records with CMS.
Industry-funded research
Named as a principal investigator on 1 industry-funded study in 2025, from 1 company. The companies reported $500 in research payments for these studies, mostly to the institutions running them.
- Assessment of CCM in HF With Higher Ejection Fraction
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. · Recruiting · NCT05064709
From CMS Open Payments research payments, where companies name up to five principal investigators per payment. Research payments usually go to hospitals, universities and research sites, not to the investigator personally. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing.