Melanie Mintzer
Family Medicine · Cary, NCNPI 1528016300
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by food and beverage: $6,052 of the $7,680 with a category attached, or 78.8%. 36 manufacturers reported payments, led by Novo Nordisk at 38.9% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2021 at $3,433 and has fallen 98.1% since, to $64 in 2025. Among family medicine clinicians in NC 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 422 payments — averaging $18.20 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novo Nordisk$3K
- AbbVie$801
- Amgen$711
- AstraZeneca$469
- Boehringer Ingelheim$385
- Johnson & Johnson$276
- plus $2K from 30 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$1,62021%
- Food & beverage$6,05279%
- Education$80%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Novo Nordisk | 93 | $2,991 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 70 | $801 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 40 | $711 |
| AstraZeneca | 34 | $469 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 24 | $385 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 23 | $276 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 6 | $270 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 17 | $253 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 14 | $190 |
| Merck | 17 | $190 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 5 | $163 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 9 | $134 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 21 | $119 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 6 | $88 |
| Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | 6 | $78 |
| Pfizer | 5 | $66 |
| Antares Pharma, Inc. | 3 | $48 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 3 | $43 |
| Eisai Inc. | 3 | $42 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 2 | $40 |
| Bausch Health US, LLC | 2 | $35 |
| IBSA Pharma Inc. | 2 | $32 |
| Abbott | 1 | $32 |
| Shire North American Group Inc | 2 | $29 |
| Nestle Healthcare Nutrition Inc. | 2 | $28 |
| GSK | 2 | $26 |
| Sanofi Pasteur Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $17 |
| Coopersurgical, Inc. | 1 | $17 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $15 |
| Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Optos, Inc. | 1 | $13 |
| Smith+Nephew | 1 | $12 |
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC | 1 | $12 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
| Assertio Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $11 |
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
$7,680 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 3,444 family medicine providers in North Carolina.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| Xtampza ErOxycodone Myristate | 12 | $6,845 |
| Cyclosporine ModifiedCyclosporine, Modified | 11 | $275 |
| Tamsulosin Hcl | 13 | $168 |
| Gabapentin | 20 | $156 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 13 | $156 |
| Buspirone Hcl | 15 | $91 |
| Escitalopram Oxalate | 14 | $85 |
| Pravastatin Sodium | 11 | $74 |
| Prednisone | 11 | $74 |
| Alprazolam | 13 | $60 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other family medicine in Cary
- Christopher ChaoCary$201K
- Charlie FosterCary$23K
- Jing ZhangCary$23K
- David AdamsCary$20K
- William CromwellRaleigh$879K
- Steve VacalisGastonia$693K
- David DundeeWinston Salem$633K
- Kevin SodenCharlotte$558K
- Brian ForrestApex$398K
- Joseph KonenCharlotte$322K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.