Samuel Tarwater, MD
Gastroenterology · Dothan, ALNPI 1225080906
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.0% of the total across 671 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 34 manufacturers reported payments, led by AbbVie at 24.9% of the total. 2025 is the largest year on record at $2,896, 4.2 times the $687 reported in 2019.
Across 671 payments — averaging $18.07 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AbbVie$3K
- Johnson & Johnson$2K
- Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC$1K
- Medtronic$861
- Ardelyx, Inc.$501
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.$493
- plus $4K from 28 others
Across 230 payments — averaging $2836.26 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.
- Pfizer$331K
- AbbVie$314K
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.$7K
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$12,00199%
- Education$991%
- Gifts$270%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 173 | $3,021 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 111 | $1,884 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 61 | $1,053 |
| Medtronic | 33 | $861 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 27 | $501 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 29 | $493 |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | 30 | $430 |
| Sanofi | 19 | $417 |
| Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc | 32 | $409 |
| Pfizer | 19 | $393 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 12 | $313 |
| Nestle Healthcare Nutrition Inc. | 14 | $267 |
| Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 13 | $216 |
| Merck | 11 | $214 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 11 | $180 |
| Gilead | 10 | $171 |
| Aimmune Therapeutics, Inc. | 8 | $170 |
| Madrigal Pharmaceuticals | 8 | $153 |
| Olympus America Inc. | 1 | $146 |
| Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc | 5 | $117 |
| Evoke Pharma, Inc. | 5 | $101 |
| Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 6 | $99 |
| Braintree Laboratories, Inc. | 7 | $96 |
| QOL Medical, LLC | 3 | $77 |
| Conmed Corporation | 2 | $68 |
| Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 3 | $56 |
| Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC | 3 | $49 |
| Boston Scientific | 1 | $40 |
| Romark Laboratories, LC | 7 | $38 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 2 | $35 |
| Amgen | 2 | $26 |
| UCB, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Redhill Biopharma Inc. | 1 | $12 |
| Endogastric Solutions, Inc | 1 | $8 |
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.
- Skyrizi$261
- EVIS EXERA lll COLONOVIDEOSCOPE$146
- INTERSTIM$128
- Rinvoq$116
- XELJANZ$112
How this compares
$12,127 in reported general payments places this provider in the 85th percentile of 225 gastroenterology providers in Alabama.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| StelaraUstekinumab | 12 | $342,580 |
| CreonLipase/Protease/Amylase | 105 | $305,815 |
| LinzessLinaclotide | 285 | $235,750 |
| ZenpepLipase/Protease/Amylase | 44 | $187,246 |
| Humira(Cf)Adalimumab | 14 | $181,426 |
| XifaxanRifaximin | 48 | $160,609 |
| Dupixent PenDupilumab | 13 | $114,764 |
| Humira(Cf) PenAdalimumab | 13 | $104,753 |
| TrulancePlecanatide | 95 | $98,436 |
| RinvoqUpadacitinib | 13 | $86,114 |
| Dexlansoprazole DrDexlansoprazole | 106 | $30,309 |
| Colesevelam Hcl | 206 | $27,221 |
| Budesonide EcBudesonide | 51 | $16,517 |
| Pantoprazole Sodium | 1,315 | $13,871 |
| Esomeprazole Magnesium | 172 | $13,865 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVieCreon, Linzess, Humira(Cf), Rinvoq | $3,021 | $809,105417 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonStelara | $1,884 | $342,58012 claims |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLCXifaxan, Trulance | $1,053 | $259,045143 claims |
| Aimmune Therapeutics, Inc.Zenpep | $170 | $187,24644 claims |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.Motegrity, Dexilant | $493 | $15,61824 claims |
| Redhill Biopharma Inc.Movantik | $12 | $10,66818 claims |
| PfizerEliquis | $393 | $6,97212 claims |
| Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.Clenpiq | $99 | $6,90039 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 225 gastroenterology providers in Alabama.
Other gastroenterology in Dothan
- Travis RutlandDothan$302K
- Paul LambDothan$58K
- George NelsonDothan$11K
- Scott SarrelsDothan$10K
- Robert AlbaresDothan$9K
- William McLaughlinDothan$8K
- Robert ShafferBirmingham$1M
- Jack DipalmaMobile$903K
- Phillip HendersonMobile$462K
- Viplove SenadhiMontgomery$282K
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.