Ram Challapalli, MD
Cardiovascular Disease · Reno, NVNPI 1154313815
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by food and beverage: $13,857 of the $17,513 with a category attached, or 79.1%. 38 manufacturers reported payments, led by Biosense Webster, Inc. at 25.1% of the total.
Across 650 payments — averaging $26.94 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Biosense Webster, Inc.$4K
- Biotronik Inc.$4K
- Boston Scientific$3K
- Abbott$1K
- Novartis$928
- Medical Device Business Services, Inc.$745
- plus $4K from 32 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$3652%
- Travel & lodging$3,22918%
- Food & beverage$13,85779%
- Education$610%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Biosense Webster, Inc. | 241 | $4,402 |
| Biotronik Inc. | 83 | $3,709 |
| Boston Scientific | 89 | $2,848 |
| Abbott | 17 | $1,331 |
| Novartis | 54 | $928 |
| Medical Device Business Services, Inc. | 3 | $745 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 42 | $735 |
| Atricure, Inc. | 13 | $558 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 22 | $277 |
| Bayer | 9 | $229 |
| Amgen | 11 | $204 |
| Pfizer | 8 | $169 |
| Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 6 | $141 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 5 | $139 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 1 | $129 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | 6 | $105 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 4 | $89 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 4 | $78 |
| Cvrx, Inc. | 3 | $71 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 4 | $68 |
| Philips North America LLC | 2 | $51 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 3 | $48 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 2 | $46 |
| Heartflow, Inc. | 2 | $46 |
| Cordis US CORP. | 1 | $45 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 2 | $45 |
| Abiomed | 2 | $38 |
| Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. | 1 | $32 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $31 |
| Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. | 1 | $27 |
| Convatec Inc. | 1 | $22 |
| Elutia, Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 1 | $21 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 1 | $20 |
| Teleflex LLC | 1 | $19 |
| Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, PLC | 1 | $18 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. | 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.
- Carto 3 System$1,110
- AVEIR$1,014
- SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM$279
- Carto 3$223
- WATCHMAN Access System$134
- Vascepa$129
- XARELTO$125
- Kerendia$125
- Rhythmia Mapping System$116
How this compares
$17,513 in reported general payments places this provider in the 85th percentile of 165 cardiovascular disease providers in Nevada.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| EliquisApixaban | 231 | $302,554 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 46 | $54,185 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 28 | $24,450 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 17 | $19,132 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 18 | $18,196 |
| MultaqDronedarone Hcl | 15 | $17,076 |
| Dofetilide | 31 | $5,312 |
| Flecainide Acetate | 80 | $3,542 |
| SotalolSotalol Hcl | 104 | $2,411 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 170 | $2,269 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 129 | $2,233 |
| Losartan Potassium | 160 | $1,832 |
| Amiodarone Hcl | 25 | $1,448 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 78 | $1,083 |
| Valsartan | 25 | $1,046 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PfizerEliquis | $169 | $302,554231 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $277 | $54,18546 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $928 | $19,13217 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $78 | $18,19618 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 85th percentile of 165 cardiovascular disease providers in Nevada.
Other cardiovascular disease in Reno
- Thomas-Duythuc ToReno$339K
- Jay MasonReno$227K
- Joseph StevensonReno$222K
- Devang DesaiReno$206K
- Christopher RowanReno$48K
- Anita KediaReno$9K
- Sridevi ChallapalliReno$8K
- Christopher WilsonReno$7K
- Arjun GururajLas Vegas$399K
- Branavan UmakanthanLas Vegas$109K
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.