Mackenzie Ponnapalli
Clinical Nurse Specialist · Houston, TXNPI 1396331302
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.7% of the total across 111 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 26 manufacturers reported payments, led by Medtronic at 31.2% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2023 at $1,327 and has fallen 50.7% since, to $655 in 2025. Among clinical nurse specialist 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 111 payments — averaging $31.90 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Medtronic$1K
- Edwards Lifesciences$367
- Amgen$255
- Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.$228
- ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp)$207
- Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.$201
- plus $1K from 20 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$3,532100%
- Education$90%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Medtronic | 32 | $1,105 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 7 | $367 |
| Amgen | 9 | $255 |
| Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 4 | $228 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 5 | $207 |
| Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. | 3 | $201 |
| AstraZeneca | 5 | $183 |
| Merck | 8 | $158 |
| Abbott | 4 | $116 |
| Novartis | 5 | $108 |
| Pfizer | 4 | $105 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 4 | $80 |
| Bayer | 3 | $69 |
| W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. | 3 | $58 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | 2 | $45 |
| Boston Scientific | 2 | $44 |
| Bridgebio Pharma, Inc. | 1 | $37 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $32 |
| Shockwave Medical, Inc | 1 | $27 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 1 | $25 |
| Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| Irhythm Technologies, Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| Chiesi USA, Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Ancora Heart, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Cardiovascular Systems Inc. | 1 | $6 |
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.
- COREVALVE EVOLUT R$567
- OPTIMIZER$299
- CoreValve Evolut$146
- Repatha$125
- WAINUA$116
How this compares
$3,541 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 88 clinical nurse specialist providers in Texas.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 23 | $16,143 |
| EliquisApixaban | 11 | $9,747 |
| Ranolazine ErRanolazine | 24 | $1,250 |
| Ezetimibe | 29 | $1,016 |
| Enoxaparin Sodium | 16 | $537 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 44 | $522 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 29 | $264 |
| Olmesartan Medoxomil | 12 | $208 |
| ClopidogrelClopidogrel Bisulfate | 18 | $182 |
| Carvedilol | 27 | $172 |
| Nitroglycerin | 12 | $123 |
| Losartan Potassium | 13 | $103 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 23 | $78 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 17 | $49 |
| Furosemide | 22 | $47 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| NovartisEntresto | $108 | $16,14323 claims |
| PfizerEliquis | $105 | $9,74711 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 88 clinical nurse specialist providers in Texas.
Other clinical nurse specialist in Houston
- Theresa SullivanHouston$3K
- Joyce NeumannHouston$2K
- Mary HughesHouston$1K
- Gina BradleyHouston$427
- Delores DunhamHouston$387
- Tamara BarnesHouston$365
- Mary Catherine Blackwell-GarnerHouston$268
- Maria MirandaHouston$220
- Jacqueline MichaelsonHouston$220
- Rebecca MontiAustin$53K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.