Sandeep Virk
Hospitalist · Birmingham, ALNPI 1578766564
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 129 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 18 manufacturers reported payments, led by Novartis at 24.3% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2021 at $623 and has fallen 88.1% since, to $74 in 2025. Among hospitalist clinicians in AL with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 129 payments — averaging $19.93 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novartis$625
- Johnson & Johnson$436
- Pfizer$373
- AbbVie$294
- E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.$265
- AstraZeneca$121
- plus $457 from 12 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$2,571100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Novartis | 35 | $625 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 19 | $436 |
| Pfizer | 19 | $373 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 15 | $294 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 13 | $265 |
| AstraZeneca | 5 | $121 |
| Gilead | 4 | $104 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 3 | $61 |
| Melinta Therapeutics, LLC | 3 | $53 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 2 | $52 |
| Portola Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 3 | $41 |
| Purdue Pharma L.p. | 2 | $34 |
| GSK | 1 | $22 |
| Penumbra, Inc. | 1 | $22 |
| Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| Shire North American Group Inc | 1 | $16 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 1 | $14 |
How this compares
$2,571 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 265 hospitalist 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 |
|---|---|---|
| EliquisApixaban | 13 | $7,812 |
| LinzessLinaclotide | 14 | $7,324 |
| Albuterol Sulfate HfaAlbuterol Sulfate | 18 | $381 |
| Pantoprazole Sodium | 33 | $220 |
| Amoxicillin-Clavulanate PotassAmoxicillin/Potassium Clav | 23 | $184 |
| Prednisone | 33 | $163 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 28 | $124 |
| Losartan Potassium | 27 | $96 |
| ClopidogrelClopidogrel Bisulfate | 13 | $93 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 14 | $79 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 18 | $73 |
| Furosemide | 28 | $60 |
| Cephalexin | 11 | $55 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 12 | $49 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 16 | $46 |
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 | $373 | $7,81213 claims |
| AbbVieLinzess | $294 | $7,32414 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 265 hospitalist providers in Alabama.
Other hospitalist in Birmingham
- Aftab KhanBirmingham$5K
- Mark CromerBirmingham$4K
- Matthew BurdenBirmingham$4K
- Faheem ShaikhBirmingham$3K
- Laura KukucBirmingham$2K
- Siddharth BansalBirmingham$2K
- Peter HwangBirmingham$1K
- Jorge PinoBirmingham$989
- George TisdaleBirmingham$909
- Brandon BringuelBirmingham$875
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.