Jose Vargas
Internal Medicine · Birmingham, ALNPI 1003971441
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by speaking fees: $34,100 of the $48,780 with a category attached, or 69.9%. 38 manufacturers reported payments, led by Merck at 55.1% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $30,782 and has fallen 99.8% since, to $62 in 2025. Among internal medicine clinicians in AL 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 612 payments — averaging $79.71 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Merck$27K
- Amarin Pharma, Inc.$14K
- AbbVie$1K
- Novo Nordisk$924
- Corcept Therapeutics$663
- Lilly USA, LLC$558
- plus $4K from 32 others
What the payments were for
- Speaking & faculty fees$34,10070%
- Travel & lodging$5,10910%
- Food & beverage$9,56220%
- Education$80%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Merck | 46 | $26,863 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 75 | $14,403 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 93 | $1,087 |
| Novo Nordisk | 72 | $924 |
| Corcept Therapeutics | 32 | $663 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 34 | $558 |
| Bayer | 26 | $497 |
| Amgen | 25 | $419 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 19 | $329 |
| Pfizer | 18 | $302 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 15 | $301 |
| Abbott | 15 | $292 |
| Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 20 | $287 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 15 | $231 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 21 | $223 |
| Novartis | 8 | $169 |
| AstraZeneca | 10 | $148 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 9 | $137 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 8 | $103 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 6 | $100 |
| Antares Pharma, Inc. | 5 | $95 |
| Shield Therapeutics Inc | 6 | $92 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 5 | $88 |
| Exact Sciences | 4 | $65 |
| Boston Scientific | 3 | $62 |
| Lifescan, Inc. | 3 | $51 |
| Medtronic | 3 | $50 |
| GSK | 3 | $45 |
| Ironshore Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $34 |
| Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $30 |
| Upsher-smith Laboratories LLC | 2 | $26 |
| Halozyme Inc | 1 | $22 |
| IBSA Pharma Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Shire North American Group Inc | 1 | $17 |
| Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Idorsia Pharmaceuticals US Inc | 1 | $14 |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA | 1 | $11 |
| Vivus LLC | 1 | $10 |
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
$48,780 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 1,533 internal medicine providers in Alabama.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 49 | $67,214 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 49 | $55,992 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 59 | $42,240 |
| TrulicityDulaglutide | 19 | $26,864 |
| KerendiaFinerenone | 29 | $26,142 |
| Humulin R U-500 KwikpenInsulin Regular, Human | 17 | $13,400 |
| Humalog Kwikpen U-100Insulin Lispro | 33 | $10,655 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 15 | $7,814 |
| TradjentaLinagliptin | 13 | $7,663 |
| NexiumEsomeprazole Magnesium | 11 | $2,875 |
| SynthroidLevothyroxine Sodium | 26 | $2,670 |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | 170 | $2,054 |
| Lantus SolostarInsulin Glargine,hum.Rec.Anlog | 17 | $1,956 |
| Nano 2nd Gen Pen NeedlePen Needle, Diabetic | 12 | $1,520 |
| Pioglitazone Hcl | 85 | $1,206 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro, Trulicity | $558 | $94,07968 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $924 | $55,99249 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance, Tradjenta | $301 | $49,90372 claims |
| BayerKerendia | $497 | $26,14229 claims |
| AstraZenecaNexium | $148 | $2,87511 claims |
| AbbVieSynthroid | $1,087 | $2,67026 claims |
| Upsher-smith Laboratories LLCTopiramate | $26 | $8213 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 1,533 internal medicine providers in Alabama.
Other internal medicine in Birmingham
- Ryan WeldonBirmingham$458K
- Robert LewisBirmingham$187K
- Thomas HuddleBirmingham$76K
- Donna FicoBirmingham$46K
- James SullivanBirmingham$39K
- Ross SchumacherBirmingham$26K
- Larry AlfordBirmingham$25K
- David WynneBirmingham$22K
- James CrenshawBirmingham$16K
- David WilhelmBirmingham$15K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.