Michael Gersch, MD
Nephrology · Hot Springs, ARNPI 1326068867
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by food and beverage: $7,032 of the $10,059 with a category attached, or 69.9%. 24 manufacturers reported payments, led by Medtronic at 42.6% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2024 at $3,092 and has fallen 65.5% since, to $1,066 in 2025. Among nephrology clinicians in AR with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 264 payments — averaging $38.10 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Medtronic$4K
- Mozarc Medical US LLC$1K
- Travere Therapeutics, Inc.$682
- Amgen$634
- AstraZeneca$466
- Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.$305
- plus $2K from 18 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$2,72927%
- Food & beverage$7,03270%
- Education$2983%
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 | 68 | $4,282 |
| Mozarc Medical US LLC | 10 | $1,498 |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 23 | $682 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 27 | $634 |
| AstraZeneca | 21 | $466 |
| Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. | 11 | $305 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 11 | $305 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | 10 | $207 |
| Novartis | 9 | $177 |
| Bayer | 10 | $175 |
| Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc. | 5 | $164 |
| Akebia Therapeutics Inc | 8 | $157 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 7 | $149 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 7 | $131 |
| GSK | 8 | $125 |
| Boston Scientific | 7 | $122 |
| Merit Medical Systems Inc | 1 | $109 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 5 | $87 |
| Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc. | 5 | $82 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 4 | $63 |
| Novo Nordisk | 2 | $42 |
| BD | 2 | $37 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 2 | $30 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $29 |
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.
- ELLIPSYS VASCULAR ACCESS SYSTEM$2,097
- Argyle$1,380
- Ellipsys$639
- Filspari$121
- Tavneos$121
- Wrapsody Stent Graft$109
- LOKELMA$104
How this compares
$10,059 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 85 nephrology providers in Arkansas.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 103 | $72,630 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 18 | $15,457 |
| KerendiaFinerenone | 20 | $13,057 |
| EliquisApixaban | 12 | $7,015 |
| Sevelamer Carbonate | 37 | $4,573 |
| Calcium Acetate | 31 | $2,080 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 50 | $1,361 |
| Pregabalin | 20 | $1,014 |
| Nifedipine ErNifedipine | 25 | $644 |
| Doxazosin Mesylate | 35 | $571 |
| Pantoprazole Sodium | 62 | $494 |
| Lactulose | 13 | $245 |
| Ezetimibe | 11 | $232 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 12 | $222 |
| Torsemide | 17 | $201 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $466 | $72,630103 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $30 | $15,45718 claims |
| BayerKerendia | $175 | $13,05720 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 95th percentile of 85 nephrology providers in Arkansas.
Other nephrology in Hot Springs
- Donna McGheeHot Springs$4K
- David DesotoHot Springs$3K
- Naveen TrehanHot Springs$2K
- Robert McCraryHot Springs$631
- Quratulain ShabbirHot Springs$619
- John SmithHot Springs$298
- Drew HeipleRussellville$236K
- Luis JuncosLittle Rock$66K
- John HeifnerLittle Rock$45K
- Shaker QaqishNorth Little Rock$16K
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.