Fred Ballenger, MD
Nephrology · Roanoke, VANPI 1447258728
Payments from drug & device makers
Across 27 payments — averaging $17.81 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Amgen$211
- Vifor Pharma, Inc.$105
- Akebia Therapeutics Inc$62
- Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.$33
- AstraZeneca$31
- Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.$22
- plus $17 from 1 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$46997%
- Education$123%
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 | 11 | $211 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 6 | $105 |
| Akebia Therapeutics Inc | 4 | $62 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | 2 | $33 |
| AstraZeneca | 2 | $31 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 1 | $22 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 1 | $17 |
How this compares
$481 in reported general payments places this provider in the 30th percentile of 298 nephrology providers in Virginia.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| VelphoroSucroferric Oxyhydroxide | 53 | $188,182 |
| AuryxiaFerric Citrate | 68 | $118,051 |
| Sevelamer Carbonate | 53 | $20,111 |
| ProsolParenteral Amino Acid 20% No.1 | 39 | $6,543 |
| Calcium Acetate | 15 | $1,320 |
| Lidocaine-PrilocaineLidocaine/Prilocaine | 25 | $644 |
| Minoxidil | 27 | $261 |
| Clonidine Hcl | 55 | $224 |
| Gabapentin | 24 | $143 |
| Furosemide | 37 | $117 |
| Hydralazine Hcl | 24 | $84 |
| Pantoprazole Sodium | 19 | $55 |
| ClopidogrelClopidogrel Bisulfate | 11 | $52 |
| Hydroxyzine Pamoate | 13 | $34 |
| Azithromycin | 11 | $25 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.Velphoro | $33 | $188,18253 claims |
| Akebia Therapeutics IncAuryxia | $62 | $118,05168 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 30th percentile of 298 nephrology providers in Virginia.
Other nephrology in Roanoke
- James CainRoanoke$132K
- Shahram AhmadzadehRoanoke$124K
- Ryan EvansRoanoke$66K
- Olayiwola AyodejiHampton$7M
- Kiranjit DhillonNorfolk$4.5M
- Gaurav GuptaRichmond$2.1M
- Csaba KovesdySalem$1.5M
- Ramon MendezWoodbridge$1.5M
- Varagur Bala SubramanianAlexandria$957K
- Ahmadshah MirkhelFairfax$902K
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.