Zhengjin Cao, MD
Internal Medicine · Dubuque, IANPI 1861616039
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — food and beverage (49.3%), travel and lodging and education — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 16 manufacturers reported payments, led by Eli Lilly at 37.5% of the total. 2025 is the largest year on record at $787, 3.0 times the $258 reported in 2019. Among internal medicine clinicians in IA 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 71 payments — averaging $21.15 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Eli Lilly$564
- Astellas Pharma US Inc$221
- AbbVie$205
- Johnson & Johnson$175
- Pfizer$82
- AstraZeneca$47
- plus $207 from 10 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$56438%
- Food & beverage$74049%
- Education$19813%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Eli Lilly | 1 | $564 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 3 | $221 |
| AbbVie | 26 | $205 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 22 | $175 |
| Pfizer | 4 | $82 |
| AstraZeneca | 3 | $47 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 2 | $35 |
| GSK | 2 | $34 |
| Novartis | 1 | $25 |
| Novo Nordisk | 1 | $18 |
| Dynavax Technologies Corporation | 1 | $18 |
| Exact Sciences | 1 | $16 |
| Bayer | 1 | $16 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 1 | $16 |
| Amgen | 1 | $14 |
| Lundbeck LLC | 1 | $14 |
How this compares
$1,502 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 583 internal medicine providers in Iowa.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| OzempicSemaglutide | 225 | $258,284 |
| EliquisApixaban | 258 | $198,912 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 94 | $128,422 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 124 | $116,778 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 100 | $80,024 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 52 | $58,621 |
| Breo ElliptaFluticasone/Vilanterol | 84 | $40,946 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 47 | $40,870 |
| XifaxanRifaximin | 12 | $38,531 |
| MyrbetriqMirabegron | 77 | $38,196 |
| Trelegy ElliptaFluticasone/Umeclidin/Vilanter | 43 | $30,518 |
| Tresiba Flextouch U-100Insulin Degludec | 26 | $22,667 |
| Stiolto RespimatTiotropium Br/Olodaterol Hcl | 38 | $18,257 |
| Bydureon BciseExenatide Microspheres | 20 | $16,769 |
| Basaglar Kwikpen U-100Insulin Glargine,hum.Rec.Anlog | 34 | $16,468 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Novo NordiskOzempic, Fiasp, Levemir | $18 | $278,174252 claims |
| PfizerEliquis | $82 | $198,912258 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $175 | $116,778124 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga, Brilinta | $47 | $88,338117 claims |
| GSKBreo Ellipta, Trelegy Ellipta, Anoro Ellipta | $34 | $83,830146 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro, Trulicity, Humalog | $35 | $80,21782 claims |
| Astellas Pharma US IncMyrbetriq | $221 | $38,19677 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 583 internal medicine providers in Iowa.
Other internal medicine in Dubuque
- Elise McPhersonDubuque$2K
- Hillard SalasDubuque$2K
- Mark JohnsonMason City$223K
- Mark CarlsonSioux City$174K
- Madalyn WalshIowa City$80K
- Alan KricsfeldCouncil Bluffs$49K
- Aziz HammoudIowa City$29K
- Matthew FryzekCouncil Bluffs$28K
- Diana Rabadi MararCouncil Bluffs$25K
- Isam MararCouncil Bluffs$23K
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.