David Burns, MD
Rheumatology · Houston, TXNPI 1295728590
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.7% of the total across 361 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 22 manufacturers reported payments, led by Amgen at 26.4% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2023 at $1,641 and has fallen 83.6% since, to $269 in 2025.
Across 361 payments — averaging $16.79 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Amgen$2K
- Novo Nordisk$1K
- AbbVie$858
- Lilly USA, LLC$673
- Novartis$322
- Johnson & Johnson$304
- plus $1K from 16 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$6,040100%
- Education$200%
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 | 78 | $1,602 |
| Novo Nordisk | 70 | $1,059 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 51 | $858 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 51 | $673 |
| Novartis | 16 | $322 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 21 | $304 |
| GSK | 20 | $297 |
| Radius Health, Inc. | 14 | $276 |
| Pfizer | 8 | $125 |
| CSL Behring | 5 | $97 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 4 | $70 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 5 | $66 |
| Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 4 | $65 |
| Romark Laboratories, LC | 3 | $64 |
| Concordia Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $41 |
| UCB, Inc. | 2 | $33 |
| Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC | 2 | $31 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Idorsia Pharmaceuticals US Inc | 1 | $14 |
| Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. | 1 | $13 |
How this compares
$6,060 in reported general payments places this provider in the 55th percentile of 512 rheumatology providers in Texas.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| XembifyImmune Globulin,gamma(Igg)klhw | 14 | $316,683 |
| EnbrelEtanercept | 34 | $213,724 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 92 | $122,721 |
| HizentraImmun Glob G(Igg)/Pro/Iga 0-50 | 30 | $105,270 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 62 | $90,504 |
| Mesalamine | 121 | $85,782 |
| Gammagard LiquidImmun Glob G(Igg)/Gly/Iga Ov50 | 12 | $76,121 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 46 | $61,786 |
| TymlosAbaloparatide | 15 | $38,313 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 21 | $29,828 |
| Balsalazide Disodium | 131 | $18,725 |
| Cevimeline Hcl | 67 | $12,883 |
| Mycophenolate Mofetil | 109 | $11,850 |
| Liothyronine Sodium | 197 | $8,163 |
| Leflunomide | 140 | $7,095 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AmgenEnbrel | $1,602 | $213,72434 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro | $673 | $122,72192 claims |
| CSL BehringHizentra | $97 | $105,27030 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $1,059 | $90,50462 claims |
| Radius Health, Inc.Tymlos | $276 | $38,31315 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $70 | $29,82821 claims |
| PfizerLevoxyl | $125 | $1,24030 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 55th percentile of 512 rheumatology providers in Texas.
Other rheumatology in Houston
- Naureen AlimHouston$397K
- Shervin AssassiHouston$329K
- Tareq Abou-KhamisHouston$116K
- Maureen MayesHouston$84K
- Maria Suarez AlmazorHouston$72K
- John ReveilleHouston$61K
- Michelle EisenbergHouston$53K
- Alfredo SardinasHouston$52K
- Adnan PeerHouston$49K
- Mujahed AlikhanHouston$41K
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.