Carl Gessler, MD
Cardiovascular Disease · Huntsville, ALNPI 1780654418
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 67 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 13 manufacturers reported payments, led by Amgen at 25.9% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2022 at $370 and has fallen 93.3% since, to $25 in 2025. That places this record below the midpoint for cardiovascular disease clinicians in AL, where the typical reported total is $2,733.
Across 67 payments — averaging $17.50 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Amgen$304
- Novartis$205
- Irhythm Technologies, Inc.$140
- Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC$119
- Boston Scientific$105
- E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.$94
- plus $206 from 7 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$1,172100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amgen | 19 | $304 |
| Novartis | 9 | $205 |
| Irhythm Technologies, Inc. | 7 | $140 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 7 | $119 |
| Boston Scientific | 6 | $105 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 5 | $94 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 3 | $42 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 2 | $37 |
| Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $36 |
| GE HealthCare | 3 | $30 |
| Pfizer | 2 | $27 |
| Abbott | 1 | $19 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
How this compares
$1,172 in reported general payments places this provider in the 35th percentile of 292 cardiovascular disease providers in Alabama.
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 | 282 | $279,107 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 132 | $170,561 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 88 | $85,934 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 52 | $40,520 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 17 | $14,792 |
| BrilintaTicagrelor | 22 | $11,998 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 551 | $8,741 |
| Losartan Potassium | 470 | $6,464 |
| Hydralazine Hcl | 378 | $6,004 |
| Nebivolol Hcl | 29 | $4,808 |
| Ranolazine ErRanolazine | 31 | $4,496 |
| Prasugrel Hcl | 45 | $3,454 |
| Diltiazem 24hr Er (Cd)Diltiazem Hcl | 59 | $2,596 |
| Isosorbide Mononitrate ErIsosorbide Mononitrate | 123 | $2,164 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 96 | $1,761 |
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 | $27 | $279,107282 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $42 | $170,561132 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $205 | $85,93488 claims |
| AstraZenecaBrilinta | $37 | $11,99822 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 35th percentile of 292 cardiovascular disease providers in Alabama.
Other cardiovascular disease in Huntsville
- James MurphyHuntsville$18K
- Enrique VelasquezHuntsville$14K
- Warren FosterHuntsville$13K
- Warren StricklandHuntsville$11K
- Joshusa ValtosHuntsville$11K
- Sadasiva KattaHuntsville$10K
- Christian DeutschHuntsville$9K
- Dennis ThomasMobile$894K
- David FienoAlabaster$421K
- Vikram AroraBirmingham$271K
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.