Beth Ernst, MD
Obstetrics · Kearney, NENPI 1225112014
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 237 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. It is spread thinly across 33 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 17.8% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $1,112 and has fallen 83.4% since, to $185 in 2025.
Across 237 payments — averaging $16.00 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AbbVie$673
- Johnson & Johnson$383
- Novo Nordisk$330
- AstraZeneca$322
- Amgen$298
- Aimmune Therapeutics, Inc.$250
- plus $2K from 27 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$3,792100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 50 | $673 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 23 | $383 |
| Novo Nordisk | 23 | $330 |
| AstraZeneca | 5 | $322 |
| Amgen | 21 | $298 |
| Aimmune Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $250 |
| GSK | 21 | $206 |
| Novartis | 22 | $201 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 12 | $184 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 10 | $148 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 5 | $95 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 6 | $79 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 4 | $60 |
| Exact Sciences | 3 | $52 |
| Sanofi Pasteur Inc. | 3 | $46 |
| Merck | 2 | $44 |
| Pulmonx Corporation | 1 | $43 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. | 3 | $42 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 2 | $41 |
| Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 3 | $39 |
| Pfizer | 2 | $34 |
| Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. | 2 | $31 |
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 1 | $28 |
| Organon | 2 | $28 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 2 | $25 |
| Lundbeck LLC | 1 | $21 |
| Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Eisai Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc | 1 | $13 |
| Biogen | 1 | $13 |
| Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 1 | $11 |
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.
- SYMBICORT$286
- FARXIGA$286
- VOWST$250
- BYDUREON$178
- BREZTRI AEROSPHERE$108
- BEVESPI AEROSPHERE$108
How this compares
Too few obstetrics providers in Nebraskato place this figure against a meaningful peer group, so we don't.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 144 | $95,890 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 63 | $66,098 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 53 | $65,462 |
| EliquisApixaban | 74 | $56,064 |
| Soliqua 100-33Insulin Glargine/Lixisenatide | 33 | $55,851 |
| TrulicityDulaglutide | 17 | $23,180 |
| RybelsusSemaglutide | 23 | $22,026 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 35 | $18,832 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 32 | $17,211 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 18 | $16,909 |
| Potassium Chloride | 249 | $15,035 |
| Tresiba Flextouch U-100Insulin Degludec | 22 | $14,868 |
| CreonLipase/Protease/Amylase | 12 | $9,424 |
| Calcipotriene | 32 | $8,594 |
| Novolog FlexpenInsulin Aspart | 22 | $7,612 |
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 | $383 | $95,890144 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic, Rybelsus | $330 | $87,48876 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $79 | $66,09863 claims |
| PfizerEliquis | $34 | $56,06474 claims |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLCSoliqua 100-33 | $148 | $55,85133 claims |
| MerckJanuvia, Belsomra | $44 | $24,20047 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCTrulicity | $184 | $23,18017 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga, Symbicort | $322 | $19,95844 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $201 | $16,90918 claims |
| AbbVieCreon, Synthroid | $673 | $10,71432 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. There are too few obstetrics providers in Nebraskaon file to place this against a meaningful peer group, so we don't.
Other obstetrics in Kearney
- Bradley RodgersKearney$15K
- Terry BeckerKearney$3K
- Clinton JonesKearney$38
- Erica HaakeGrand Island$10K
- Donald GibbensLincoln$2K
- Dennis HodgeLincoln$498
- Meghen BokemperLincoln$376
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.