Gerald Ahigian, MD
Family Medicine · Denver, NCNPI 1932154432
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.6% of the total across 815 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 56 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 9.1% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Reporting peaked in 2021 at $2,678 and has fallen 51.5% since, to $1,300 in 2025. Among family medicine clinicians in NC 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 815 payments — averaging $18.03 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AstraZeneca$1K
- Novo Nordisk$1K
- Johnson & Johnson$888
- Boehringer Ingelheim$750
- Mannkind Corporation$734
- Bayer$669
- plus $9K from 50 others
Across 10 payments — averaging $3105.73 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.
- Acella Pharmaceuticals, LLC$14K
- Avion Pharmaceuticals$11K
- Sanofi US Services Inc.$6K
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$14,638100%
- Education$550%
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.
- ZORYVE$117
- TRELEGY ELLIPTA$109
- FARXIGA$107
- XARELTO$102
How this compares
$14,693 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 3,444 family medicine providers in North Carolina.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| OzempicSemaglutide | 54 | $81,332 |
| EliquisApixaban | 65 | $71,986 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 47 | $52,663 |
| Tresiba Flextouch U-200Insulin Degludec | 26 | $37,988 |
| Toujeo SolostarInsulin Glargine,hum.Rec.Anlog | 28 | $24,251 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 16 | $24,010 |
| Trelegy ElliptaFluticasone/Umeclidin/Vilanter | 19 | $22,759 |
| Synjardy XrEmpagliflozin/Metformin Hcl | 23 | $16,618 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 16 | $15,293 |
| LinzessLinaclotide | 17 | $14,482 |
| Xigduo XrDapaglifloz Propaned/Metformin | 14 | $10,751 |
| Novolog FlexpenInsulin Aspart | 19 | $10,150 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 233 | $9,539 |
| Breztri AerosphereBudesonide/Glycopyr/Formoterol | 14 | $9,074 |
| Omega-3 Acid Ethyl Esters | 55 | $5,763 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $1,104 | $81,33254 claims |
| PfizerEliquis | $615 | $71,98665 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $888 | $52,66347 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro | $607 | $24,01016 claims |
| GSKTrelegy Ellipta | $386 | $22,75919 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimSynjardy Xr | $750 | $16,61823 claims |
| AbbVieLinzess | $261 | $14,48217 claims |
| AstraZenecaBreztri Aerosphere | $1,343 | $9,07414 claims |
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLCLevothyroxine Sodium, Unithroid | $273 | $4,186358 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 3,444 family medicine providers in North Carolina.
Other family medicine in Denver
- William CromwellRaleigh$879K
- Steve VacalisGastonia$693K
- David DundeeWinston Salem$633K
- Kevin SodenCharlotte$558K
- Brian ForrestApex$398K
- Joseph KonenCharlotte$322K
- Richard RachimaCharlotte$294K
- Dimitrios HondrosCharlotte$275K
- Domingo Rodriguez-CueGarner$253K
- Christopher ChaoCary$201K
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.