Sheikh Ahmed, MD
Cardiology · Houston, TXNPI 1457435745
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by other: $9,827 of the $13,732 with a category attached, or 71.6%. Angiodynamics, Inc. accounts for 71.6% of it on its own, with 23 other manufacturers making up the rest. Reporting peaked in 2021 at $10,812 and has fallen 96.3% since, to $399 in 2025. Among cardiology clinicians in TX with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 118 payments — averaging $116.38 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Angiodynamics, Inc.$10K
- Abbott$2K
- Amgen$284
- Bayer$247
- Lilly USA, LLC$242
- Merck$209
- plus $937 from 18 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$3,88628%
- Education$200%
- Other$9,82772%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Angiodynamics, Inc. | 1 | $9,827 |
| Abbott | 25 | $1,987 |
| Amgen | 14 | $284 |
| Bayer | 13 | $247 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 11 | $242 |
| Merck | 12 | $209 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 4 | $150 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 8 | $133 |
| Biotronik Inc. | 5 | $123 |
| Radius Health, Inc. | 4 | $104 |
| GSK | 3 | $76 |
| AstraZeneca | 5 | $66 |
| Boston Scientific | 1 | $46 |
| Novartis | 2 | $43 |
| Pfizer | 1 | $28 |
| Optinose US, Inc. | 1 | $27 |
| Verona Pharma, Inc. | 1 | $25 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 1 | $19 |
| Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Agepha Pharma FZ LLC | 1 | $16 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| AbbVie | 1 | $15 |
| Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $13 |
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.
- VenaCure EVLT$9,827
- Confirm Rx$404
- GALLANT$248
- Quartet CRT Lead$145
- QUADRA ASSURA$131
- Quadra Assura CRT Defibrillator$116
- Assurity Pacemaker$112
How this compares
$13,732 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 33 cardiology providers in Texas.
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 | 95 | $119,262 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 68 | $80,352 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 38 | $38,409 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 27 | $31,325 |
| Pregabalin | 30 | $4,115 |
| Losartan-HydrochlorothiazideLosartan/Hydrochlorothiazide | 196 | $2,252 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 161 | $2,065 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 167 | $1,598 |
| Nifedipine ErNifedipine | 26 | $1,152 |
| ClopidogrelClopidogrel Bisulfate | 116 | $1,076 |
| Digoxin | 35 | $755 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 162 | $695 |
| Enoxaparin Sodium | 13 | $671 |
| Losartan Potassium | 91 | $572 |
| Diltiazem 24hr Er (Cd)Diltiazem Hcl | 16 | $544 |
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 | $28 | $119,26295 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $133 | $80,35268 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $43 | $38,40938 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $19 | $31,32527 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 90th percentile of 33 cardiology providers in Texas.
Other cardiology in Houston
- Ramon TyHouston$11K
- Thieu NguyenHouston$5K
- Nadim ZaccaHouston$2K
- Julian KangHouston$0
- Leroy SterlingHouston$0
- Harvey SluskyWebster$26K
- Shiny MathewkuttyDallas$24K
- Lane MillerCollege Station$11K
- Faizan IftikharMcKinney$7K
- Nadir AliWebster$3K
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.