Michelle Josephson
Nephrology · Chicago, ILNPI 1184785917
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — travel and lodging (43.0%), consulting fees and speaking fees — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 16 manufacturers reported payments, led by AstraZeneca at 44.5% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2024 at $12,337 and has fallen 98.6% since, to $170 in 2025. Among nephrology clinicians in IL 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 34 payments — averaging $812.85 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AstraZeneca$12K
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.$4K
- Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc.$3K
- Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.$3K
- Akorn, Inc.$2K
- Immucor, Inc.$2K
- plus $2K from 10 others
Across 4 payments — averaging $454.75 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- Mylan Inc.$1K
- Accord Healthcare, Inc.$447
- Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.$123
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$7,95429%
- Speaking & faculty fees$6,92525%
- Travel & lodging$11,89643%
- Food & beverage$8623%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AstraZeneca | 16 | $12,310 |
| Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. | 1 | $4,080 |
| Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc. | 2 | $3,000 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | 1 | $2,875 |
| Akorn, Inc. | 1 | $2,000 |
| Immucor, Inc. | 1 | $1,600 |
| Mylan Inc. | 1 | $1,000 |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA | 3 | $205 |
| Gilead | 1 | $150 |
| Nxstage Medical, Inc. | 1 | $144 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 1 | $93 |
| Sandoz | 1 | $70 |
| Mylan Specialty L.p. | 1 | $50 |
| Eurofins Viracor, LLC | 1 | $26 |
| Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 1 | $13 |
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.
- ULTOMIRIS$11,760
- Mycophenolate Mofetil$3,000
- NOVALUNG SYSTEM$144
- NXSTAGE SYSTEM ONE$144
- Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry$111
How this compares
$27,637 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 524 nephrology providers in Illinois.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| VeltassaPatiromer Calcium Sorbitex | 12 | $15,069 |
| Valganciclovir Hcl | 17 | $5,275 |
| Tacrolimus | 22 | $2,406 |
| Prednisone | 149 | $1,173 |
| Mycophenolate Mofetil | 22 | $1,153 |
| Sulfamethoxazole-TrimethoprimSulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim | 105 | $783 |
| Leflunomide | 15 | $701 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 40 | $287 |
| Tamsulosin Hcl | 12 | $279 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 41 | $217 |
| Famotidine | 18 | $189 |
| Carvedilol | 15 | $163 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 12 | $148 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 13 | $144 |
| Pantoprazole Sodium | 12 | $138 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mylan Inc.Atorvastatin Calcium | $1,000 | $28740 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 524 nephrology providers in Illinois.
Other nephrology in Chicago
- Myles WolfChicago$2.1M
- Susan QuagginChicago$262K
- Nicole StankusChicago$235K
- Marco BonillaChicago$148K
- Lorenzo GallonChicago$120K
- Vikram AggarwalChicago$117K
- Jay KoynerChicago$113K
- Jose ArrudaChicago$107K
- John FriedewaldChicago$93K
- Casey GashtiChicago$74K
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.