Christopher Ballou
Hospitalist · Columbia, SCNPI 1659400943
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 93 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 27 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 22.2% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $963 and has fallen 97.7% since, to $22 in 2022. Among hospitalist clinicians in SC 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 93 payments — averaging $15.84 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novo Nordisk$327
- AstraZeneca$244
- Amgen$115
- Johnson & Johnson$109
- Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC$98
- Pfizer$93
- plus $488 from 21 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$1,473100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Novo Nordisk | 24 | $327 |
| AstraZeneca | 13 | $244 |
| Amgen | 8 | $115 |
| Johnson & Johnson(2 entities) | 2 | $109 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 6 | $98 |
| Pfizer | 7 | $93 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 5 | $76 |
| AbbVie | 4 | $65 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 2 | $31 |
| Abbott | 2 | $31 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 2 | $28 |
| Merck | 2 | $25 |
| Radius Health, Inc. | 1 | $25 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 2 | $24 |
| Boston Scientific | 1 | $22 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| Sanofi Pasteur Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Shire North American Group Inc | 1 | $15 |
| Nestle Healthcare Nutrition Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Mylan Specialty L.p. | 1 | $13 |
| Novartis | 1 | $13 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 1 | $12 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 1 | $11 |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA | 1 | $11 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 1 | $11 |
| Bardy Diagnostics, Inc. | 1 | $10 |
How this compares
$1,473 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 398 hospitalist providers in South Carolina.
Other hospitalist in Columbia
- Harmeet GillColumbia$2K
- Richard SmithColumbia$2K
- William LindseyColumbia$2K
- Colin WidenerColumbia$870
- James FieldsColumbia$791
- Peter CarnohanColumbia$743
- Nanik RamColumbia$648
- Sidney RhoadesColumbia$634
- Michael TaylorColumbia$619
- Cedric RiversColumbia$541
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.