Azhar Sheikh, MD
Internal Medicine · Cleveland, TNNPI 1013972538
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 486 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. It is spread thinly across 50 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 19.9% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Among internal medicine clinicians in TN with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 486 payments — averaging $17.17 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novo Nordisk$2K
- AstraZeneca$819
- AbbVie$650
- Pfizer$613
- Lilly USA, LLC$472
- Amgen$417
- plus $4K from 44 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$8,347100%
Most of this is food and beverage — typically meals provided during product presentations at a clinic or hospital. Nationally that is the single largest category of reported payments by count.
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.
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.
- Inspire$123
How this compares
$8,347 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 2,216 internal medicine providers in Tennessee.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| EliquisApixaban | 371 | $225,077 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 212 | $220,096 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 102 | $106,643 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 98 | $91,069 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 77 | $80,533 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 62 | $50,153 |
| Trelegy ElliptaFluticasone/Umeclidin/Vilanter | 44 | $34,060 |
| MyrbetriqMirabegron | 35 | $31,226 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 42 | $30,428 |
| GemtesaVibegron | 51 | $27,773 |
| Tresiba Flextouch U-100Insulin Degludec | 35 | $24,635 |
| Toujeo SolostarInsulin Glargine,hum.Rec.Anlog | 25 | $20,499 |
| LinzessLinaclotide | 27 | $19,985 |
| Tresiba Flextouch U-200Insulin Degludec | 16 | $19,664 |
| ProliaDenosumab | 11 | $19,135 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PfizerEliquis | $613 | $225,077371 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $1,662 | $220,096212 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro, Trulicity | $472 | $118,985114 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga, Breztri Aerosphere, Brilinta, Lokelma | $819 | $109,776118 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance, Synjardy | $254 | $97,413110 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $379 | $50,15362 claims |
| GSKTrelegy Ellipta, Arexvy | $157 | $39,73563 claims |
| AbbVieLinzess, Vraylar | $650 | $36,77341 claims |
| Astellas Pharma US IncMyrbetriq | $196 | $31,22635 claims |
| MerckJanuvia | $73 | $30,42842 claims |
| Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.Gemtesa | $75 | $27,77351 claims |
| AmgenProlia | $417 | $19,13511 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 90th percentile of 2,216 internal medicine providers in Tennessee.
Other internal medicine in Cleveland
- John AndersonNashville$1.5M
- Tracie WalkerJackson$488K
- Nathan TrenthamEtowah$404K
- Dennis DeruelleKnoxville$263K
- Devin ShermanFranklin$191K
- Lewis HagoodKnoxville$143K
- Temidayo AbeNashville$113K
- Kenya KozawaSweetwater$86K
- Wayne RileyNashville$86K
- Maighan SeagroveChattanooga$78K
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.