Gobivenkata Balaji, MD
Internal Medicine · Melbourne, FLNPI 1649230459
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.3% 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. It is spread thinly across 33 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 11.4% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Reporting peaked in 2024 at $1,273 and has fallen 53.8% since, to $588 in 2025. Among internal medicine clinicians in FL with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 361 payments — averaging $17.33 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Boehringer Ingelheim$716
- Amarin Pharma, Inc.$596
- Lilly USA, LLC$566
- AstraZeneca$511
- Amgen$457
- Novartis$440
- plus $3K from 27 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$6,21099%
- Education$471%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 40 | $716 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 58 | $596 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 32 | $566 |
| AstraZeneca | 29 | $511 |
| Amgen | 24 | $457 |
| Novartis | 39 | $440 |
| Novo Nordisk | 25 | $395 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 17 | $327 |
| Pfizer | 16 | $291 |
| Abbott | 7 | $272 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 24 | $269 |
| Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 3 | $229 |
| Boston Scientific | 2 | $151 |
| Bayer | 7 | $149 |
| Silk Road Medical, Inc. | 1 | $144 |
| Harmony Biosciences LLC | 1 | $125 |
| Merck | 6 | $104 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 5 | $90 |
| GSK | 5 | $85 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 4 | $58 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $44 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 3 | $41 |
| Eisai Inc. | 1 | $32 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $20 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. | 1 | $19 |
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $18 |
| Alvogen Inc | 1 | $17 |
| Cardiovascular Systems Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 1 | $12 |
| Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $11 |
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.
How this compares
$6,256 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 8,530 internal medicine providers in Florida.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 194 | $186,320 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 113 | $139,349 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 86 | $108,137 |
| EliquisApixaban | 70 | $69,616 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 46 | $54,196 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 44 | $36,810 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 1,567 | $28,873 |
| Praluent PenAlirocumab | 29 | $27,894 |
| Bydureon BciseExenatide Microspheres | 21 | $26,148 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 31 | $22,581 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 27 | $21,653 |
| CreonLipase/Protease/Amylase | 11 | $21,351 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 21 | $19,007 |
| Valsartan | 564 | $18,937 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 19 | $18,419 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance, Tradjenta | $716 | $197,527221 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro | $566 | $139,349113 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $395 | $108,13786 claims |
| PfizerEliquis | $291 | $69,61670 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $440 | $54,19646 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $511 | $36,81044 claims |
| AbbVieCreon, Synthroid | $327 | $31,341133 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $18 | $22,58131 claims |
| MerckJanuvia | $104 | $18,41919 claims |
| GSKBreo Ellipta | $85 | $15,28220 claims |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.Nexletol | $269 | $9,28713 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 90th percentile of 8,530 internal medicine providers in Florida.
Other internal medicine in Melbourne
- Ronald CathcartMelbourne$150K
- Haytham ElgammalMiami$2.2M
- Keith RubinFort Lauderdale$2M
- Michael SensionFort Lauderdale$1M
- Quang NguyenOcala$434K
- Luis Correa LunaSanford$412K
- Michael OleksykFort Myers$365K
- Andrew KuykendallTampa$322K
- Howard FederoffCoconut Grove$302K
- Bianka EperjesiovaGainesville$260K
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.