Joel Spellun
Gastroenterology · Providence, RINPI 1295785251
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.1% of the total across 116 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 19 manufacturers reported payments, led by AbbVie at 35.2% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $1,358 and has fallen 87.9% since, to $165 in 2021. That places this record below the midpoint for gastroenterology clinicians in RI, where the typical reported total is $2,112.
Across 116 payments — averaging $18.20 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AbbVie$743
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.$325
- Johnson & Johnson$291
- Merck$166
- Pfizer$108
- Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC$94
- plus $385 from 13 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$2,09399%
- Education$181%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 40 | $743 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 18 | $325 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 15 | $291 |
| Merck | 11 | $166 |
| Pfizer | 7 | $108 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 5 | $94 |
| Braintree Laboratories, Inc. | 3 | $63 |
| Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc | 2 | $50 |
| Gilead | 3 | $49 |
| Amgen | 2 | $35 |
| Alfasigma USA, Inc. | 2 | $30 |
| UCB, Inc. | 1 | $26 |
| Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $23 |
| Redhill Biopharma Inc. | 1 | $23 |
| Shionogi Inc | 1 | $19 |
| AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | 1 | $15 |
How this compares
$2,112 in reported general payments places this provider in the 50th percentile of 85 gastroenterology providers in Rhode Island.
Other gastroenterology in Providence
- Thomas SepeProvidence$307K
- Paul AkermanProvidence$123K
- Sean FineProvidence$55K
- Breton RousselProvidence$50K
- Alan EpsteinProvidence$36K
- Samir ShahProvidence$28K
- Lisa MuellerProvidence$25K
- Nabil ToubiaProvidence$20K
- Thaer AbdelfattahProvidence$17K
- Eric NewtonProvidence$16K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.