Paul Sacks, MD
Nephrology · Phoenix, AZNPI 1255334892
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 98.1% of the total across 323 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 31 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 22.1% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Among nephrology clinicians in AZ 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 323 payments — averaging $24.51 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AstraZeneca$2K
- Amgen$814
- Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.$714
- Bayer$665
- Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.$471
- Travere Therapeutics, Inc.$376
- plus $3K from 25 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$7,76898%
- Education$1502%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 69 | $1,753 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 28 | $814 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 37 | $714 |
| Bayer | 29 | $665 |
| Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. | 16 | $471 |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 18 | $376 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 22 | $369 |
| OPKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 15 | $309 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 5 | $300 |
| W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. | 5 | $285 |
| Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc. | 11 | $224 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 10 | $216 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 8 | $187 |
| Akebia Therapeutics Inc | 7 | $163 |
| Nevro Corp. | 1 | $147 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 1 | $128 |
| Novartis | 6 | $125 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 6 | $111 |
| GSK | 5 | $90 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | 4 | $75 |
| Novo Nordisk | 3 | $67 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 3 | $61 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 3 | $51 |
| Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. | 2 | $47 |
| Boston Scientific | 2 | $44 |
| Cormedix Inc. | 2 | $42 |
| Gilead | 1 | $21 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 1 | $19 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 1 | $19 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 1 | $13 |
| Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
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.
- Tavneos$362
- VIABAHN Endoprosthesis$212
- Senza$147
- ACTHAR$130
- Veltassa$125
- Korsuva$125
- Kerendia$124
- JYNARQUE$122
- LOKELMA$116
- XPHOZAH 30 MG$107
How this compares
$7,918 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 259 nephrology providers in Arizona.
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 | 198 | $181,169 |
| SamscaTolvaptan | 11 | $174,521 |
| KerendiaFinerenone | 89 | $84,219 |
| VelphoroSucroferric Oxyhydroxide | 31 | $81,562 |
| LokelmaSodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate | 49 | $47,490 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 48 | $45,337 |
| Lanthanum Carbonate | 14 | $10,479 |
| Sevelamer Carbonate | 42 | $8,725 |
| DapagliflozinDapagliflozin Propanediol | 11 | $5,714 |
| EdarbiAzilsartan Medoxomil | 12 | $2,876 |
| Nifedipine ErNifedipine | 71 | $2,462 |
| Bumetanide | 57 | $2,329 |
| Hydralazine Hcl | 98 | $1,904 |
| Clonidine | 12 | $1,857 |
| Fluconazole | 37 | $1,781 |
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, Lokelma | $1,753 | $228,659247 claims |
| Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.Samsca | $47 | $174,52111 claims |
| BayerKerendia | $665 | $84,21989 claims |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.Velphoro | $75 | $81,56231 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $216 | $45,33748 claims |
| Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Edarbi | $12 | $2,87612 claims |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Valsartan | $111 | $59119 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 259 nephrology providers in Arizona.
Other nephrology in Phoenix
- Samer Bani HaniPhoenix$54K
- Leslie ThomasPhoenix$22K
- Alexander NimriPhoenix$21K
- Edgardo LaurelPhoenix$15K
- Sharareh SaadatPhoenix$15K
- Amar BistaPhoenix$12K
- Maher MousaPhoenix$9K
- William WeissPhoenix$8K
- Esmat MustafaPhoenix$7K
- Hui ZhaoPhoenix$7K
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.