David Bains, MD
Nephrology · Huntsville, ALNPI 1447419288
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 98.6% of the total across 259 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 29 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 14.6% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. 2025 is the largest year on record at $1,462, 3.2 times the $460 reported in 2019.
Across 259 payments — averaging $19.95 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Vifor Pharma, Inc.$756
- Novartis$534
- Bayer$427
- Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc.$384
- AstraZeneca$374
- Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.$359
- plus $2K from 23 others
Across 15 payments — averaging $56,735 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- AstraZeneca$759K
- Vertex$92K
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$5,09399%
- Education$731%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 40 | $756 |
| Novartis | 21 | $534 |
| Bayer | 14 | $427 |
| Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc. | 14 | $384 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 25 | $374 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 20 | $359 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 19 | $344 |
| OPKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 18 | $287 |
| GSK | 12 | $269 |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 21 | $197 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 5 | $197 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 9 | $190 |
| Novo Nordisk | 8 | $173 |
| Akebia Therapeutics Inc | 5 | $111 |
| Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. | 5 | $106 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 4 | $103 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 3 | $62 |
| Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $36 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 2 | $33 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | 2 | $32 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $32 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 2 | $31 |
| Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. | 1 | $29 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $22 |
| Cycle Pharmaceuticals Inc | 1 | $18 |
| Cormedix Inc. | 1 | $17 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $11 |
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.
- Kerendia$125
- TARPEYO$122
- XPHOZAH 30 MG$118
How this compares
$5,167 in reported general payments places this provider in the 70th percentile of 164 nephrology 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 |
|---|---|---|
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 45 | $43,194 |
| VeltassaPatiromer Calcium Sorbitex | 26 | $32,413 |
| KerendiaFinerenone | 15 | $15,929 |
| Sevelamer Carbonate | 25 | $8,935 |
| LokelmaSodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate | 12 | $7,692 |
| Telmisartan | 86 | $4,217 |
| Potassium Citrate ErPotassium Citrate | 38 | $3,718 |
| Nifedipine ErNifedipine | 60 | $2,746 |
| Chlorthalidone | 90 | $1,607 |
| Hydralazine Hcl | 35 | $1,213 |
| Calcium Acetate | 23 | $1,102 |
| Carvedilol | 69 | $1,085 |
| Nebivolol Hcl | 11 | $1,067 |
| Losartan Potassium | 102 | $930 |
| Torsemide | 47 | $773 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AstraZenecaFarxiga, Lokelma | $374 | $50,88657 claims |
| BayerKerendia | $427 | $15,92915 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 70th percentile of 164 nephrology providers in Alabama.
Other nephrology in Huntsville
- Michael QuadriniHuntsville$323K
- James SmelserHuntsville$20K
- Carlo CastilloHuntsville$7K
- Todd BroomeHuntsville$7K
- Heather HaleyHuntsville$6K
- Saad RahmanHuntsville$6K
- Roger CoomerHuntsville$6K
- Dana RizkBirmingham$196K
- Sumeet MunjalMontgomery$191K
- Eric WallaceBirmingham$172K
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.