Christopher Cross, MD
Gastroenterology · Fort Smith, ARNPI 1013170596
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 90.6% of the total across 754 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 29 manufacturers reported payments, led by AbbVie at 25.5% of the total.
Across 754 payments — averaging $16.20 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AbbVie$3K
- Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC$3K
- Gilead$1K
- Johnson & Johnson$973
- Olympus Corporation Of The Americas$949
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.$889
- plus $2K from 23 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$9198%
- Food & beverage$11,06891%
- Education$1821%
- Gifts$290%
- Entertainment$180%
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) | 205 | $3,115 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 208 | $2,668 |
| Gilead | 68 | $1,162 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 42 | $973 |
| Olympus Corporation Of The Americas | 9 | $949 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 61 | $889 |
| Pfizer | 44 | $779 |
| Braintree Laboratories, Inc. | 35 | $258 |
| Sanofi | 13 | $245 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 7 | $174 |
| Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc | 9 | $121 |
| Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 6 | $112 |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | 8 | $110 |
| UCB, Inc. | 7 | $105 |
| Merck | 6 | $94 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 4 | $73 |
| Celltrion USA Inc. | 2 | $57 |
| Nestle Healthcare Nutrition Inc. | 3 | $53 |
| Madrigal Pharmaceuticals | 3 | $52 |
| Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc | 2 | $39 |
| QOL Medical, LLC | 2 | $33 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $29 |
| Redhill Biopharma Inc. | 2 | $28 |
| Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $26 |
| Mauna Kea Technologies, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Novo Nordisk | 1 | $15 |
| Sandoz | 1 | $14 |
| Cook Medical LLC | 1 | $13 |
| Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $12 |
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
$12,217 in reported general payments places this provider in the 85th percentile of 108 gastroenterology 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 |
|---|---|---|
| GattexTeduglutide | 16 | $742,084 |
| StelaraUstekinumab | 18 | $500,297 |
| XifaxanRifaximin | 42 | $143,517 |
| Humira(Cf) PenAdalimumab | 13 | $92,694 |
| CreonLipase/Protease/Amylase | 25 | $58,522 |
| LinzessLinaclotide | 43 | $37,288 |
| Sod Sulf-Potass Sulf-Mag SulfSodium, Potassium,mag Sulfates | 315 | $19,723 |
| TrulancePlecanatide | 25 | $19,569 |
| SutabSod Sulf/Pot Chloride/Mag Sulf | 117 | $18,997 |
| Mesalamine | 56 | $17,667 |
| MovantikNaloxegol Oxalate | 34 | $15,693 |
| PentasaMesalamine | 12 | $8,601 |
| Balsalazide Disodium | 36 | $4,995 |
| Mesalamine ErMesalamine | 20 | $3,892 |
| Lubiprostone | 33 | $3,435 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.Gattex | $889 | $742,08416 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonStelara | $973 | $500,29718 claims |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLCXifaxan, Trulance | $2,668 | $163,08667 claims |
| AbbVieCreon, Linzess | $3,115 | $95,81068 claims |
| Braintree Laboratories, Inc.Sutab | $258 | $18,997117 claims |
| Redhill Biopharma Inc.Movantik | $28 | $15,69334 claims |
| Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.Clenpiq | $12 | $2,87517 claims |
| SandozLansoprazole | $14 | $29215 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 85th percentile of 108 gastroenterology providers in Arkansas.
Other gastroenterology in Fort Smith
- Hrair SimonianFort Smith$15K
- Eduardo DemondesertFort Smith$13K
- Derrick RichardsonFort Smith$8K
- Glenn DavisLittle Rock$2.7M
- Ranga BalasekaranSpringdale$235K
- Ali KhanLittle Rock$49K
- Jaymie PenningtonLittle Rock$17K
- Michael JohnsonLittle Rock$17K
- David BackstedtLittle Rock$16K
- Dhaval PatelLittle Rock$15K
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.