Robert Cole, MD
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology · Atlanta, GANPI 1871770735
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — consulting fees (41.9%), speaking fees and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 34 manufacturers reported payments, led by Abbott at 35.3% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2023 at $68,244 and has fallen 59.2% since, to $27,876 in 2025.
Across 581 payments — averaging $366.27 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Abbott$75K
- Boehringer Ingelheim$62K
- Cvrx, Inc.$54K
- Lilly USA, LLC$14K
- Boston Scientific$4K
- Novartis$1K
- plus $3K from 28 others
Across 3 payments — averaging $8700.00 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.
- Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.$16K
- Endotronix, Inc.$10K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$89,17942%
- Speaking & faculty fees$83,70039%
- Travel & lodging$20,55610%
- Food & beverage$19,3689%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Abbott | 229 | $75,176 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 71 | $62,406 |
| Cvrx, Inc. | 117 | $53,733 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 11 | $13,800 |
| Boston Scientific | 4 | $3,769 |
| Novartis | 63 | $1,069 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 17 | $563 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 10 | $274 |
| Paragonix Technologies, Inc. | 2 | $246 |
| Pfizer | 10 | $221 |
| Eurofins Viracor, LLC | 2 | $164 |
| Abiomed | 1 | $153 |
| Merck | 7 | $140 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 2 | $136 |
| Sensible Medical Innovations Inc | 1 | $132 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 6 | $115 |
| Picard Medical Inc. | 1 | $109 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 3 | $102 |
| Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. | 3 | $71 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | 3 | $56 |
| Novo Nordisk | 3 | $52 |
| Briohealth Solutions, Inc. | 1 | $49 |
| Bayer | 2 | $36 |
| Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $34 |
| KCI USA, Inc. | 1 | $27 |
| Sanofi | 1 | $22 |
| Atricure, Inc. | 1 | $22 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| Phadia US Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| Amgen | 1 | $19 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 1 | $17 |
| Argon Medical Devices, Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, PLC | 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.
- JARDIANCE$74,231
- Barostim Neo System$52,082
- MitraClip$21,552
- CARDIOMEMS$18,486
- THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT$14,766
- CardioMEMS HF System$13,636
- AMPLATZER TALISMAN$1,500
- HeartMate Touch$648
- HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Dev$557
- MitraClip System$236
- HeartMate$232
- Impella$153
- Paragonix SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System$142
- SherpaCool Box$142
- CTS Canister Box$142
- ReDS system$132
- LEQVIO$123
- XARELTO$123
- GENERAL - THERAPIES$121
- HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device$116
How this compares
$212,802 in reported general payments places this provider in the 85th percentile of 40 advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Georgia.
See all advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Georgia →
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 |
|---|---|---|
| VyndamaxTafamidis | 38 | $890,733 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 208 | $214,203 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 92 | $107,627 |
| EliquisApixaban | 112 | $102,334 |
| Tacrolimus | 119 | $48,230 |
| Voriconazole | 13 | $25,285 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 23 | $23,294 |
| Atovaquone | 31 | $22,596 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 23 | $21,774 |
| WegovySemaglutide | 15 | $20,722 |
| Valganciclovir Hcl | 35 | $17,090 |
| Sirolimus | 14 | $10,073 |
| Sildenafil Citrate | 38 | $7,187 |
| Mycophenolate Mofetil | 59 | $6,182 |
| Clonidine | 19 | $3,647 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PfizerVyndamax, Eliquis | $221 | $993,066150 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $1,069 | $214,203208 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $62,406 | $107,62792 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $274 | $23,29423 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $136 | $21,77423 claims |
| Novo NordiskWegovy | $52 | $20,72215 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 40 advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Georgia.
Other advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology in Atlanta
- Rahul LounganiAtlanta$51K
- Arun KrishnamoorthyAtlanta$37K
- Benjamin DemossAtlanta$17K
- Mehrdad ToosiAtlanta$15K
- Brenda HottAtlanta$8K
- Divya GuptaAtlanta$8K
- Kunal BhattAtlanta$6K
- Mahmoud AbdouAtlanta$4K
- Chad MaoAtlanta$3K
- Sonjoy LaskarAtlanta$2K
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.