Donald Upton
Nurse Practitioner · Opelika, ALNPI 1831320225
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 97.5% of the total across 749 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 51 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 10.3% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Among nurse practitioner clinicians in AL with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 749 payments — averaging $18.05 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AbbVie$1K
- AstraZeneca$1K
- GSK$1K
- Novo Nordisk$916
- Pfizer$823
- Medtronic$764
- plus $7K from 45 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$3312%
- Food & beverage$13,17997%
- Education$120%
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.
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.
- MINIMED 780G$438
- Auvelity$164
- FREESTYLE LIBRE 3$128
- Ozempic$125
- ZEPBOUND$111
- VRAYLAR$107
- REXULTI$103
How this compares
$13,522 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 1,505 nurse practitioner providers in Alabama.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 157 | $110,593 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 112 | $110,201 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 71 | $75,083 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 68 | $71,538 |
| EliquisApixaban | 96 | $71,095 |
| Trelegy ElliptaFluticasone/Umeclidin/Vilanter | 89 | $68,007 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 64 | $47,833 |
| Soliqua 100-33Insulin Glargine/Lixisenatide | 41 | $35,771 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 63 | $28,207 |
| Janumet XrSitagliptin Phos/Metformin Hcl | 26 | $26,436 |
| TrulicityDulaglutide | 20 | $19,020 |
| Tresiba Flextouch U-100Insulin Degludec | 18 | $16,147 |
| JanumetSitagliptin Phos/Metformin Hcl | 21 | $14,456 |
| MyrbetriqMirabegron | 23 | $11,073 |
| TradjentaLinagliptin | 14 | $11,034 |
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 | $1,364 | $110,593157 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $916 | $110,201112 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro, Trulicity | $672 | $90,55888 claims |
| MerckJanuvia, Janumet Xr, Janumet | $105 | $88,725111 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance, Tradjenta | $302 | $86,11785 claims |
| GSKTrelegy Ellipta, Anoro Ellipta, Breo Ellipta | $1,110 | $80,311117 claims |
| PfizerEliquis | $823 | $71,09596 claims |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLCSoliqua 100-33 | $91 | $35,77141 claims |
| Astellas Pharma US IncMyrbetriq | $449 | $11,07323 claims |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.Trintellix | $199 | $4,89719 claims |
| AbbVieSynthroid | $1,391 | $3,66634 claims |
| Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.Colchicine | $150 | $2,23831 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 95th percentile of 1,505 nurse practitioner providers in Alabama.
Other nurse practitioner in Opelika
- Carla HudsonOpelika$9K
- Brooke CauslandOpelika$8K
- Erin TannerAlabaster$141K
- Ardie Pack MabienMobile$29K
- Ginger McDanielBirmingham$27K
- Audrey MorganMontgomery$24K
- Hollie CrutchfieldDothan$22K
- Leah GravesBirmingham$21K
- Lauren DowneyBirmingham$19K
- Ashley HodgensMontgomery$19K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.