Melissa Gonzalez Lara, MD
Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism · Florence, SCNPI 1831677293
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 108 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. It is spread thinly across 26 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 10.9% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. That places this record below the midpoint for endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism clinicians in SC, where the typical reported total is $2,665.
Across 108 payments — averaging $23.96 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Insulet Corporation$282
- Lilly USA, LLC$258
- BETA Bionics, Inc.$231
- Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC$200
- Medtronic$199
- Dexcom, Inc.$170
- plus $1K from 20 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$2,588100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Insulet Corporation | 3 | $282 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 13 | $258 |
| BETA Bionics, Inc. | 7 | $231 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 9 | $200 |
| Medtronic | 3 | $199 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 7 | $170 |
| Corcept Therapeutics | 7 | $149 |
| Abbott | 7 | $147 |
| Ascendis Pharma Endocrinology Inc | 7 | $137 |
| Novo Nordisk | 9 | $133 |
| Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 5 | $103 |
| Bayer | 5 | $81 |
| Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. | 3 | $60 |
| Amgen | 3 | $53 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 3 | $50 |
| AbbVie | 3 | $49 |
| Ascensia Diabetes Care US Inc. | 2 | $46 |
| Nevro Corp. | 2 | $44 |
| Cequr Corporation | 2 | $40 |
| Recordati_rare_diseases_inc. | 2 | $34 |
| ITI, Inc. (d/b/a Intra-cellular Therapies, Inc.) | 1 | $28 |
| Chiesi USA, Inc. | 1 | $28 |
| Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| Sequel Med Tech, LLC | 1 | $18 |
| Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| GSK | 1 | $14 |
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.
- Omnipod$255
- MINIMED 780G$112
How this compares
$2,588 in reported general payments places this provider in the 45th percentile of 99 endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism providers in South Carolina.
See all endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism providers in South Carolina →
Medicare billing
What this is not: this is the amount Original Medicare Part B allowed for services this provider billed in 2024. It is not their income. It excludes Medicare Advantage — now more than half of all Medicare enrollment — along with Medicaid and all commercial insurance, and it is gross practice revenue before staff, rent, supplies and malpractice premiums. CMS also suppresses any figure covering ten or fewer patients, so low-volume providers appear smaller than they are.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 197 | $176,101 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 130 | $136,640 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 98 | $113,069 |
| Humulin R U-500 KwikpenInsulin Regular, Human | 64 | $64,981 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 52 | $38,352 |
| Tresiba Flextouch U-100Insulin Degludec | 49 | $38,124 |
| Humalog Kwikpen U-200Insulin Lispro | 11 | $24,745 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 29 | $21,837 |
| Novolog FlexpenInsulin Aspart | 60 | $18,828 |
| Lantus SolostarInsulin Glargine,hum.Rec.Anlog | 105 | $18,220 |
| Omnipod 5 Dexg7g6 Pods (Gen 5)Insulin Pump Cart,auto,bt,g6/7 | 23 | $15,100 |
| Basaglar Kwikpen U-100Insulin Glargine,hum.Rec.Anlog | 17 | $12,965 |
| TrulicityDulaglutide | 13 | $12,213 |
| Humalog Kwikpen U-100Insulin Lispro | 35 | $11,358 |
| Insulin Lispro Kwikpen U-100Insulin Lispro | 15 | $5,471 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $50 | $176,101197 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic | $133 | $136,640130 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro, Trulicity, Humalog | $258 | $128,668125 claims |
| AbbVieSynthroid | $49 | $3,28561 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 45th percentile of 99 endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism providers in South Carolina.
Other endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism in Florence
- Gerald MieleFlorence$35K
- Francisco Barrera EchegoyenFlorence$6K
- Padigar Shyamanand TantryFlorence$6K
- Meenakshi PandeFlorence$5K
- Sonika MalikFlorence$4K
- Hany ShenoudaFlorence$3K
- Gauri DhirMyrtle Beach$417K
- Cory WhiteGreenville$413K
- Louis HaenelCharleston$377K
- Vonda CalcuttWalterboro$368K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Billing: Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, data year 2024. Original Medicare Part B only.
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.