Ali Assefi, MD
Nephrology · Fairfax, VANPI 1275531832
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by speaking fees: $48,951 of the $63,965 with a category attached, or 76.5%. 33 manufacturers reported payments, led by Bayer at 35.6% of the total. Among nephrology clinicians in VA 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 343 payments — averaging $186.49 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Bayer$23K
- AstraZeneca$14K
- Novo Nordisk$12K
- Boehringer Ingelheim$6K
- Lilly USA, LLC$3K
- Amgen$1K
- plus $5K from 27 others
Across 37 payments — averaging $6425.61 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.
- GSK$170K
- AstraZeneca$58K
- Travere Therapeutics, Inc.$6K
- AbbVie$4K
Across 2 payments — averaging $132.34 each. An ownership or investment interest held by the physician or an immediate family member.
- Exthera Medical Corporation$265
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$5,9789%
- Speaking & faculty fees$48,95177%
- Travel & lodging$2,5164%
- Food & beverage$6,0019%
- Education$5201%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bayer | 30 | $22,755 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 52 | $14,262 |
| Novo Nordisk | 10 | $11,912 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 11 | $6,397 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 8 | $2,542 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 30 | $1,494 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 24 | $649 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 18 | $451 |
| Novartis | 29 | $442 |
| Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. | 14 | $426 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 12 | $317 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 9 | $253 |
| Akebia Therapeutics Inc | 11 | $248 |
| GSK | 10 | $213 |
| Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc. | 10 | $197 |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 14 | $182 |
| OPKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 8 | $179 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 8 | $164 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 3 | $152 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | 6 | $145 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | 7 | $136 |
| Kyowa Kirin, Inc. | 4 | $94 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 1 | $66 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 3 | $60 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 2 | $45 |
| Biomerieux Inc | 2 | $30 |
| Cormedix Inc. | 1 | $30 |
| Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $27 |
| Recor Medical Inc | 1 | $22 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $22 |
| Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
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.
How this compares
$63,965 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 298 nephrology providers in Virginia.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 168 | $234,185 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 161 | $224,427 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 57 | $70,425 |
| TradjentaLinagliptin | 52 | $60,588 |
| KerendiaFinerenone | 20 | $36,204 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 25 | $29,899 |
| ProcritEpoetin Alfa | 16 | $24,126 |
| Cinacalcet Hcl | 33 | $13,890 |
| Sevelamer Carbonate | 57 | $11,140 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 16 | $8,275 |
| Potassium Citrate ErPotassium Citrate | 35 | $8,057 |
| Febuxostat | 40 | $7,350 |
| Tacrolimus | 76 | $6,914 |
| Calcium Acetate | 43 | $5,128 |
| Sirolimus | 11 | $4,989 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance, Tradjenta | $6,397 | $294,772220 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $14,262 | $224,427161 claims |
| BayerKerendia | $22,755 | $36,20420 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $11,912 | $29,89925 claims |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Valsartan | $451 | $2,06440 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 298 nephrology providers in Virginia.
Other nephrology in Fairfax
- Reza ZonoziFairfax$262K
- Renuka SothinathanFairfax$68K
- Kinjal PatelFairfax$31K
- Paul ModlingerFairfax$18K
- Magnus IkhinmwinFairfax$11K
- Renu Regunathan-ShenkFairfax$6K
- Ranjit CheriyanFairfax$4K
- Ramon MendezWoodbridge$791K
- Sandeep MagoonNorfolk$204K
- Thomas McCuneNorfolk$202K
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.