Lauren Tezak
Acute Care · Houston, TXNPI 1508225467
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 49 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 21 manufacturers reported payments, led by Abbott at 39.2% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2023 at $1,474 and has fallen 79.7% since, to $299 in 2025. Among acute care clinicians in TX 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 49 payments — averaging $93.20 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Abbott$2K
- La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company$443
- AstraZeneca$247
- AbbVie$225
- Amgen$197
- Abiomed$135
- plus $2K from 15 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$4,567100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Abbott | 23 | $1,789 |
| La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company | 4 | $443 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 2 | $247 |
| AbbVie | 2 | $225 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 2 | $197 |
| Abiomed | 1 | $135 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | 1 | $125 |
| Sobi, Inc | 1 | $125 |
| Gilead | 1 | $125 |
| Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $122 |
| Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. | 1 | $122 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $120 |
| Sanofi | 1 | $119 |
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 1 | $119 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 1 | $101 |
| GSK | 1 | $99 |
| Mylan Specialty L.p. | 1 | $94 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 1 | $91 |
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Inc | 1 | $72 |
| SK Life Science, Inc. | 1 | $61 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $38 |
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.
- THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT$1,287
- Impella$135
- HeartMate Touch$128
- UPTRAVI$125
- OPSUMIT$125
- FASENRA$125
- Gamifant$125
- CARDIOMEMS$123
- GVOKE HYPOPEN$122
- TERLIVAZ$122
- Zevtera$122
- GIAPREZA$122
- XARELTO$120
- FABRAZYME$119
- Inspire$119
- UBRELVY$118
- AVYCAZ$107
- Xerava$106
- Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve$101
How this compares
$4,567 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 2,323 acute care providers in Texas.
Other acute care in Houston
- Afton DickersonHouston$27K
- Eleanor WeltgeHouston$25K
- Michelle JohnstonHouston$18K
- Amanda BergeronHouston$12K
- Nicole OnaHouston$12K
- Prashanth AnumandlaHouston$12K
- Ken ChanHouston$11K
- Brittney RichardHouston$11K
- Antonio Paolo AlmacenHouston$11K
- Laura WuesteHouston$11K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.