Ramin Berenji, MD
Nephrology · El Centro, CANPI 1063497691
Payments from drug & device makers
Across 866 payments — averaging $1664.84 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- GSK$363K
- Akebia Therapeutics Inc$348K
- Bayer$305K
- CSL Behring$183K
- Gilead$93K
- AstraZeneca$79K
- plus $71K from 20 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$1,35617%
- Travel & lodging$2,01825%
- Food & beverage$4,48256%
- Education$1191%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| GSK | 66 | $362,581 |
| Akebia Therapeutics Inc | 489 | $348,106 |
| Bayer | 119 | $304,796 |
| CSL Behring | 52 | $182,823 |
| Gilead | 22 | $92,969 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 25 | $79,242 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 20 | $37,368 |
| Vertex | 3 | $22,651 |
| Novartis | 2 | $9,101 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 12 | $755 |
| OPKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 14 | $285 |
| Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc. | 6 | $246 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | 11 | $194 |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 3 | $124 |
| Nxstage Medical, Inc. | 2 | $78 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 5 | $75 |
| Boston Scientific | 1 | $71 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 4 | $66 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 3 | $59 |
| Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $45 |
| Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc. | 1 | $32 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 1 | $21 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Novo Nordisk | 1 | $15 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 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.
How this compares
$1,441,750 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 1,341 nephrology providers in California.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| VelphoroSucroferric Oxyhydroxide | 53 | $265,128 |
| VeltassaPatiromer Calcium Sorbitex | 45 | $54,940 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 122 | $51,319 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 65 | $46,610 |
| TradjentaLinagliptin | 52 | $43,274 |
| LokelmaSodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate | 43 | $29,821 |
| Sevelamer Carbonate | 115 | $24,811 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 26 | $20,255 |
| LinzessLinaclotide | 16 | $19,131 |
| Lanthanum Carbonate | 11 | $15,557 |
| Icosapent Ethyl | 76 | $15,373 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 15 | $12,766 |
| ProcritEpoetin Alfa | 22 | $12,273 |
| EliquisApixaban | 14 | $8,616 |
| Mycophenolate Mofetil | 15 | $6,760 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.Velphoro | $194 | $265,12853 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga, Lokelma | $79,242 | $76,431108 claims |
| AmgenEpogen | $37,368 | $5,46423 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 1,341 nephrology providers in California.
Other nephrology in El Centro
- Anjay RastogiLos Angeles$6.3M
- Aamir JamalSan Dimas$5.5M
- Mohamed El-ShahawyLos Angeles$4.4M
- Kalpesh PatelCalabasas$3.6M
- Jehad HaggiagiMission Hills$3.6M
- Malvin YanSouth Gate$3.3M
- Sohan DuaNorthridge$3.2M
- Richard LafayetteStanford$3M
- Anant DesaiGranada Hills$2.9M
- Glenn ChertowStanford$2.2M
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.