Sarah Sandberg, MD
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology · Birmingham, ALNPI 1366602625
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — food and beverage (47.4%), consulting fees and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 10 manufacturers reported payments, led by Abbott at 50.4% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $3,552 and has fallen 85.7% since, to $507 in 2025. That places this record below the midpoint for clinical cardiac electrophysiology clinicians in AL, where the typical reported total is $17,214.
Across 126 payments — averaging $68.64 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Abbott$4K
- Biotronik Inc.$2K
- Biosense Webster, Inc.$1K
- Boston Scientific$275
- ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp)$273
- Medtronic$211
- plus $83 from 4 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$2,28126%
- Travel & lodging$2,26726%
- Food & beverage$4,10047%
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 | 45 | $4,355 |
| Biotronik Inc. | 2 | $2,281 |
| Biosense Webster, Inc. | 43 | $1,170 |
| Boston Scientific | 6 | $275 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 21 | $273 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 4 | $211 |
| Cardiva Medical, Inc. | 2 | $35 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $29 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 1 | $14 |
| Acutus Medical, Inc. | 1 | $5 |
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.
- ENSITE PRECISION$1,381
- Ensite Cardiac Mapping System$1,154
- Carto 3$426
- AVEIR$157
- GENERAL - THERAPIES$144
- Attain$115
- QUADRA ASSURA$105
How this compares
$8,648 in reported general payments places this provider in the 15th percentile of 42 clinical cardiac electrophysiology providers in Alabama.
See all clinical cardiac electrophysiology 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 | 591 | $588,301 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 67 | $58,720 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 23 | $32,885 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 339 | $6,156 |
| Flecainide Acetate | 96 | $5,487 |
| Amiodarone Hcl | 160 | $4,219 |
| Diltiazem 24hr Er (Cd)Diltiazem Hcl | 69 | $4,032 |
| Losartan Potassium | 81 | $1,477 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 53 | $1,325 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 71 | $1,164 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 98 | $819 |
| Carvedilol | 77 | $806 |
| ClopidogrelClopidogrel Bisulfate | 50 | $749 |
| Potassium Chloride | 35 | $648 |
| Valsartan | 13 | $622 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $29 | $58,72067 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 15th percentile of 42 clinical cardiac electrophysiology providers in Alabama.
Other clinical cardiac electrophysiology in Birmingham
- Hugh McElderryBirmingham$725K
- Anil RajendraBirmingham$495K
- Gustavo MoralesBirmingham$171K
- William MaddoxBirmingham$159K
- Francis BennBirmingham$95K
- Terence DunnBirmingham$73K
- Byron ColleyBirmingham$59K
- Macy SmithBirmingham$45K
- Chad ColonBirmingham$42K
- Blake SmithBirmingham$36K
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.