Francisco Merced-Ortiz, MD
Cardiovascular Disease · San Juan, PRNPI 1750649786
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — speaking fees (54.4%), grants and food and beverage — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 24 manufacturers reported payments, led by Pfizer at 52.5% of the total. Among cardiovascular disease clinicians in PR 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 183 payments — averaging $297.30 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Pfizer$29K
- Medtronic$13K
- E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.$5K
- Abbott$2K
- ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp)$1K
- Bayer$822
- plus $3K from 18 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$1,1002%
- Speaking & faculty fees$29,60454%
- Grants$12,50023%
- Travel & lodging$1,6893%
- Food & beverage$9,36817%
- Education$1450%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pfizer | 15 | $28,571 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 11 | $13,395 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 14 | $4,866 |
| Abbott | 34 | $2,175 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 35 | $1,452 |
| Bayer | 9 | $822 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 20 | $698 |
| AstraZeneca | 4 | $404 |
| Bridgebio Pharma, Inc. | 4 | $386 |
| Boston Scientific | 5 | $380 |
| Amgen | 5 | $378 |
| Bayer Puerto Rico Inc. | 10 | $183 |
| Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. | 1 | $122 |
| Merck | 3 | $110 |
| Eli Lilly Export S.A. Puerto Rico Branch | 1 | $100 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | 1 | $100 |
| Novartis | 3 | $80 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $42 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 1 | $30 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $28 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 1 | $28 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 1 | $20 |
| Cordis US CORP. | 1 | $18 |
| PBG Puerto Rico LLC | 1 | $16 |
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.
- VYNDAQEL$25,789
- HeartWare HVAD$12,500
- CAMZYOS$3,652
- ELIQUIS$610
- Micra$544
- CARDIOMEMS$449
- Attruby$377
- FARXIGA$361
- Kerendia$345
- JARDIANCE$327
- CardioMEMS HF System$321
- LifeVest$300
- OPTIMIZER$244
- Repatha$241
- AVEIR$225
- Adempas$200
- Amplia MRI$154
- GENERAL TACHY$139
- MitraClip System$125
- MitraClip$125
How this compares
$54,406 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 267 cardiovascular disease providers in Puerto Rico.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| VyndamaxTafamidis | 76 | $1,718,473 |
| VyndaqelTafamidis Meglumine | 15 | $342,845 |
| EliquisApixaban | 298 | $266,912 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 291 | $241,217 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 263 | $223,422 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 111 | $95,416 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 82 | $83,175 |
| BrilintaTicagrelor | 25 | $22,185 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 420 | $9,536 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 17 | $9,524 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 388 | $5,804 |
| Candesartan Cilexetil | 39 | $5,413 |
| SynthroidLevothyroxine Sodium | 38 | $4,772 |
| Nifedipine ErNifedipine | 124 | $4,518 |
| Losartan Potassium | 280 | $3,888 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PfizerVyndamax, Vyndaqel, Eliquis | $28,571 | $2,328,231389 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $698 | $241,217291 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $80 | $223,422263 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga, Brilinta | $404 | $117,601136 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $28 | $83,17582 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 267 cardiovascular disease providers in Puerto Rico.
Other cardiovascular disease in San Juan
- Manuel GuzmanSan Juan$203K
- Ramon PereaSan Juan$68K
- Sonia VicentySan Juan$23K
- Sonia Velazquez-NavarroSan Juan$17K
- Pedro Vargas-OteroSan Juan$15K
- Ricardo ColacioppoSan Juan$14K
- Jose Kareh CorderoSan Juan$13K
- William Borges CancelSan Juan$13K
- Zuanette Ramos-RoblesSan Juan$13K
- Edwin Rodriguez CruzSan Juan$12K
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.