Balasasikumar Sundaram, MD
Emergency Medicine · Fort Smith, ARNPI 1922057900
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 27 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. AbbVie accounts for 78.8% of it on its own, with 4 other manufacturers making up the rest. Reporting peaked in 2021 at $175 and has fallen 89.5% since, to $18 in 2025. Among emergency medicine clinicians in AR 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 27 payments — averaging $15.74 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AbbVie$335
- Teleflex LLC$26
- Abbott$23
- Palette Life Sciences, Inc.$23
- Johnson & Johnson$18
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$425100%
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.
| Company | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 23 | $335 |
| Teleflex LLC | 1 | $26 |
| Abbott | 1 | $23 |
| Palette Life Sciences, Inc. | 1 | $23 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $18 |
How this compares
$425 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 388 emergency medicine providers in Arkansas.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cephalexin | 32 | $254 |
| Clindamycin Hcl | 13 | $135 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 30 | $105 |
| Doxycycline Hyclate | 12 | $98 |
| Ciprofloxacin Hcl | 15 | $56 |
| Prednisone | 13 | $23 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 14 | $17 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other emergency medicine in Fort Smith
- Danny SilverFort Smith$7K
- Emily WilliamsFort Smith$1K
- Wallace LockFort Smith$782
- Aaron LawrenceFort Smith$687
- Michelle HoranFort Smith$623
- Aaron BullFort Smith$582
- James RussellFort Smith$507
- Ryan SullivanFort Smith$441
- Eric SullivanFort Smith$434
- Andrew StarnesFort Smith$249
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.