Melvin Ashford, MD
Obstetrics & Gynecology · Woodbury, MNNPI 1053321745
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — food and beverage (34.5%), travel and lodging and speaking fees — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 17 manufacturers reported payments, led by Coloplast at 42.9% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $2,402 and has fallen 97.2% since, to $68 in 2025. Among obstetrics & gynecology clinicians in MN 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 68 payments — averaging $70.81 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Coloplast$2K
- AbbVie$2K
- Axonics, Inc.$591
- Hologic Sales And Service, LLC$178
- Coopersurgical, Inc.$45
- Exeltis, USA Inc.$44
- plus $212 from 11 others
What the payments were for
- Speaking & faculty fees$1,50031%
- Travel & lodging$1,62434%
- Food & beverage$1,66034%
- Education$311%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coloplast | 22 | $2,068 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 8 | $1,677 |
| Axonics, Inc. | 18 | $591 |
| Hologic Sales And Service, LLC | 3 | $178 |
| Coopersurgical, Inc. | 2 | $45 |
| Exeltis, USA Inc. | 3 | $44 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $35 |
| AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $31 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 1 | $26 |
| Exact Sciences | 1 | $21 |
| Caldera Medical, Inc | 1 | $18 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $17 |
| Femselect Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Therapeuticsmd, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Lupin Inc. | 1 | $13 |
| Myovant Sciences Inc. | 1 | $12 |
| BD | 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.
- ALTIS$1,604
- Orilissa$1,500
- Axonics$215
- ACESSA PROVU SYSTEM$121
How this compares
$4,815 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 615 obstetrics & gynecology providers in Minnesota.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| GemtesaVibegron | 18 | $16,377 |
| MyrbetriqMirabegron | 12 | $8,731 |
| Epinephrine | 12 | $1,911 |
| Estradiol | 25 | $1,861 |
| Methenamine Hippurate | 11 | $1,822 |
| Solifenacin Succinate | 34 | $1,483 |
| Clindamycin Phosphate | 16 | $1,030 |
| ProgesteroneProgesterone, Micronized | 30 | $933 |
| Tolterodine Tartrate ErTolterodine Tartrate | 21 | $827 |
| Metronidazole | 13 | $629 |
| Trospium Chloride | 12 | $580 |
| Nitrofurantoin Mono-MacroNitrofurantoin Monohyd/M-Cryst | 22 | $317 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 24 | $85 |
| Ibuprofen | 18 | $75 |
| Ondansetron OdtOndansetron | 11 | $31 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other obstetrics & gynecology in Woodbury
- Eric EnglishLake Elmo$228K
- Matthew PalmerCrystal$138K
- Eugen CampianRed Wing$137K
- Kirk ShibleyEdina$130K
- Christy Boraas AlslebenMinneapolis$44K
- Jani JensenRochester$42K
- Rachel CadyCrosby$29K
- Regan TheilerRochester$20K
- Eric HeegaardMinneapolis$18K
- Ashleigh SwearingenNew Ulm$17K
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.