Alan Nussbaum
Rheumatology · Charleston, SCNPI 1982645529
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 98.3% of the total across 220 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 19 manufacturers reported payments, led by Amgen at 24.4% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $1,023 and has fallen 94.1% since, to $60 in 2024. That places this record below the midpoint for rheumatology clinicians in SC, where the typical reported total is $4,469.
Across 220 payments — averaging $16.38 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Amgen$878
- AbbVie$513
- Johnson & Johnson$348
- Pfizer$292
- GSK$243
- UCB, Inc.$238
- plus $1K from 13 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$3,54398%
- Education$602%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amgen(2 entities) | 57 | $878 |
| AbbVie | 37 | $513 |
| Johnson & Johnson(2 entities) | 19 | $348 |
| Pfizer | 23 | $292 |
| GSK | 15 | $243 |
| UCB, Inc. | 13 | $238 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 10 | $194 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 10 | $191 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 7 | $126 |
| Novartis | 6 | $118 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 4 | $88 |
| Radius Health, Inc. | 3 | $76 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 4 | $70 |
| Sanofi | 2 | $59 |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA | 3 | $46 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 2 | $45 |
| Merck | 3 | $45 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 1 | $17 |
| Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
How this compares
$3,603 in reported general payments places this provider in the 45th percentile of 123 rheumatology providers in South Carolina.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| Humira(Cf) PenAdalimumab | 16 | $108,985 |
| Xeljanz XrTofacitinib Citrate | 13 | $85,764 |
| Celecoxib | 18 | $1,316 |
| Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate | 21 | $601 |
| MethotrexateMethotrexate Sodium | 13 | $553 |
| Allopurinol | 19 | $377 |
| Duloxetine Hcl | 13 | $279 |
| Prednisone | 12 | $226 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other rheumatology in Charleston
- Richard SilverCharleston$82K
- Deanna Baker FrostCharleston$43K
- Diane KamenCharleston$26K
- Gary GilkesonCharleston$16K
- Georgia RoaneCharleston$8K
- Erica AndersonCharleston$6K
- Colin EdgertonSummerville$3.5M
- Gregory NiemerSummerville$2.9M
- Gary FinkSummerville$2.9M
- Clarence LegertonSummerville$2.9M
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.