Albert Hicks, MD
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology · Temple, TXNPI 1386808012
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by speaking fees: $397,823 of the $613,368 with a category attached, or 64.9%. It is spread thinly across 20 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 23.6%. 2025 is the largest year on record at $217,685, 3.4 times the $64,919 reported in 2019. Among advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology clinicians in TX with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 707 payments — averaging $867.56 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Boehringer Ingelheim$145K
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.$120K
- Bridgebio Pharma, Inc.$76K
- Cvrx, Inc.$73K
- Abbott$71K
- Lilly USA, LLC$65K
- plus $64K from 14 others
Across 9 payments — averaging $4783.58 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- Novartis$40K
- Abbott$3K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$131,02821%
- Speaking & faculty fees$397,82365%
- Travel & lodging$57,5639%
- Food & beverage$26,9534%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 143 | $144,932 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 85 | $119,754 |
| Bridgebio Pharma, Inc. | 59 | $75,581 |
| Cvrx, Inc. | 106 | $73,108 |
| Abbott | 168 | $71,042 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 62 | $64,756 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 32 | $34,690 |
| Pfizer | 9 | $20,945 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 3 | $2,510 |
| Getinge USA Sales, LLC | 1 | $1,600 |
| Abiomed | 12 | $1,232 |
| AstraZeneca | 6 | $1,205 |
| Ancora Heart, Inc. | 3 | $794 |
| Novo Nordisk | 9 | $634 |
| Paragonix Technologies, Inc. | 3 | $160 |
| Novartis | 2 | $119 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $113 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 1 | $98 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 1 | $54 |
| Endotronix, Inc. | 1 | $41 |
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.
- JARDIANCE$201,368
- AMVUTTRA$83,008
- Attruby$75,339
- Barostim Neo System$71,205
- THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT$47,049
- NEXLIZET$34,177
- NEXLETOL$34,177
- VYNDAQEL$20,843
- CardioMEMS HF System$12,235
- ONPATTRO$6,572
- HeartMate$4,090
- CARDIOMEMS$3,563
- Veltassa$2,510
- CARDIOHELP$1,600
- Impella$902
- AccuCinch$794
- HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device$451
- HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Dev$264
- HeartMate Touch$254
- Mitra Clip system$170
How this compares
$613,368 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 75 advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Texas.
See all advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Texas →
Medicare billing
What this is not: this is the amount Original Medicare Part B allowed for services this provider billed in 2024. It is not their income. It excludes Medicare Advantage — now more than half of all Medicare enrollment — along with Medicaid and all commercial insurance, and it is gross practice revenue before staff, rent, supplies and malpractice premiums. CMS also suppresses any figure covering ten or fewer patients, so low-volume providers appear smaller than they are.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 68 | $88,321 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 80 | $83,554 |
| EliquisApixaban | 18 | $16,426 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 13 | $10,226 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 90 | $1,542 |
| Eplerenone | 17 | $832 |
| Carvedilol | 44 | $656 |
| Spironolactone | 84 | $625 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 17 | $561 |
| Amiodarone Hcl | 11 | $332 |
| Hydralazine Hcl | 17 | $331 |
| Losartan Potassium | 23 | $322 |
| Torsemide | 11 | $273 |
| ClopidogrelClopidogrel Bisulfate | 16 | $215 |
| Furosemide | 39 | $183 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Companies that both paid and supply prescribed drugs
These companies both reported payments to this provider and make drugs the provider prescribed under Medicare Part D in 2024. For most specialties this overlap is expected — a cardiologist who is paid by a cardiology drugmaker also treats heart disease. It is shown so the reader can see it, not because it implies anything on its own.
| Company | Paid to this provider | Part D cost of their drugs |
|---|---|---|
| NovartisEntresto | $119 | $88,32168 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $144,932 | $83,55480 claims |
| PfizerEliquis | $20,945 | $16,42618 claims |
Reading this fairly. The Part D column is what drug plans and patients paid pharmacies — this provider received none of it, and it reflects how many patients they treat and what those drugs cost. Against peers, this provider's reported payments sit in the 95th percentile of 75 advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Texas.
Other advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology in Temple
- Ebere ChukwuTemple$115K
- Robert GottliebDallas$717K
- Allen AndersonSan Antonio$413K
- Martin BerkDallas$379K
- Aasim AfzalPlano$336K
- Kunjan BhattAustin$324K
- Barry TrachtenbergHouston$306K
- Shelley HallDallas$254K
- Arvind BhimarajHouston$216K
- Jerome ThomasAustin$182K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Billing: Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, data year 2024. Original Medicare Part B only.
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.