Jason Eckel, MD
Nephrology · Cary, NCNPI 1801079884
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by speaking fees: $93,975 of the $122,596 with a category attached, or 76.7%. 30 manufacturers reported payments, led by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. at 54.0% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $31,813 and has fallen 68.5% since, to $10,034 in 2025. Among nephrology 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 534 payments — averaging $229.58 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.$66K
- AstraZeneca$36K
- Lundbeck LLC$9K
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.$4K
- Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc.$3K
- Amgen$1K
- plus $4K from 24 others
Across 51 payments — averaging $7536.31 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.
- Vertex$208K
- CSL Behring$170K
- Biogen$7K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$10,4108%
- Speaking & faculty fees$93,97577%
- Travel & lodging$6,8076%
- Food & beverage$11,2159%
- Education$1900%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 153 | $66,185 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 102 | $36,040 |
| Lundbeck LLC | 16 | $8,514 |
| Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. | 8 | $4,148 |
| Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc. | 14 | $2,730 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 55 | $1,172 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | 47 | $960 |
| Akebia Therapeutics Inc | 18 | $416 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 14 | $307 |
| Bayer | 11 | $237 |
| OPKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 10 | $207 |
| Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. | 8 | $195 |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 13 | $186 |
| GSK | 10 | $178 |
| Novo Nordisk | 8 | $173 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 8 | $160 |
| Novartis | 9 | $149 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 6 | $113 |
| Sanofi | 5 | $90 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 3 | $85 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 3 | $61 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 3 | $57 |
| Boston Scientific | 1 | $50 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $44 |
| Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $36 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 1 | $26 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $23 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| Cardiovascular Systems Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Lilly USA, 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.
How this compares
$122,596 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 366 nephrology 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 |
|---|---|---|
| XphozahTenapanor Hcl | 23 | $96,057 |
| VelphoroSucroferric Oxyhydroxide | 32 | $90,715 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 75 | $78,191 |
| Tolvaptan | 12 | $66,347 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 39 | $45,670 |
| Sevelamer Carbonate | 88 | $22,276 |
| LokelmaSodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate | 15 | $19,762 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 15 | $18,025 |
| EliquisApixaban | 17 | $14,577 |
| Cinacalcet Hcl | 14 | $5,564 |
| Midodrine Hcl | 39 | $2,023 |
| Torsemide | 51 | $1,846 |
| Bumetanide | 24 | $1,740 |
| SynthroidLevothyroxine Sodium | 13 | $1,343 |
| Losartan Potassium | 91 | $863 |
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, Lokelma | $36,040 | $97,95390 claims |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.Velphoro | $960 | $90,71532 claims |
| Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.Tolvaptan | $4,148 | $66,34712 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $57 | $45,67039 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $173 | $18,02515 claims |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Valsartan | $23 | $37214 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 366 nephrology providers in North Carolina.
Other nephrology in Cary
- Barbara GillespieCary$11K
- Kevin LeeCary$6K
- Gregory GreenwoodWinston-Salem$947K
- Michael EtomiCharlotte$212K
- William KendrickGreenville$125K
- Raven VooraSanford$111K
- Nam VoAsheville$89K
- Jennifer StoddardPinehurst$77K
- Barry FreedmanWinston Salem$67K
- James McCabeWilmington$56K
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.