Bruce Abkes, MD
Otolaryngology · Johnson City, TNNPI 1982635314
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by food and beverage: $2,337 of the $3,095 with a category attached, or 75.5%. 18 manufacturers reported payments, led by Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. at 31.8% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2021 at $1,147 and has fallen 56.4% since, to $500 in 2025.
Across 101 payments — averaging $30.64 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.$984
- GSK$528
- Stryker$416
- Sanofi$396
- Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.$377
- Novartis$57
- plus $337 from 12 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$67722%
- Food & beverage$2,33776%
- Education$813%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 10 | $984 |
| GSK | 27 | $528 |
| Stryker | 5 | $416 |
| Sanofi | 20 | $396 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 17 | $377 |
| Novartis | 4 | $57 |
| Aerin Medical Inc. | 3 | $57 |
| Advanced Bionics, LLC | 2 | $49 |
| Smith+Nephew | 2 | $37 |
| Masimo Corporation | 1 | $36 |
| AstraZeneca | 2 | $30 |
| Intersect ENT, Inc. | 2 | $26 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 1 | $22 |
| Merck | 1 | $19 |
| Resmed Corp | 1 | $18 |
| Amgen | 1 | $17 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $16 |
| Boston Scientific | 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.
How this compares
$3,095 in reported general payments places this provider in the 70th percentile of 191 otolaryngology providers in Tennessee.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dupixent PenDupilumab | 11 | $40,999 |
| Ipratropium Bromide | 154 | $3,797 |
| Azelastine Hcl | 47 | $3,579 |
| Ciprofloxacin-DexamethasoneCiprofloxacin Hcl/Dexameth | 24 | $2,814 |
| Naloxone Hcl | 16 | $906 |
| Sucralfate | 31 | $764 |
| Fluticasone Propionate | 44 | $763 |
| Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate | 14 | $736 |
| Mupirocin | 84 | $724 |
| Ondansetron OdtOndansetron | 62 | $719 |
| Ofloxacin | 23 | $605 |
| Cefdinir | 16 | $598 |
| Amoxicillin-Clavulanate PotassAmoxicillin/Potassium Clav | 28 | $454 |
| Nystatin | 18 | $380 |
| Prednisone | 13 | $369 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other otolaryngology in Johnson City
- Johnathan WinsteadJohnson City$5K
- Timothy ZajoncJohnson City$4K
- Rakesh ChandraNashville$381K
- David FortuneHermitage$298K
- Grady BryantHermitage$74K
- Marion GillespieMemphis$67K
- Clyde MathisonFarragut$66K
- Dean KlugGermantown$37K
- Michael TopfNashville$36K
- John GleysteenMemphis$25K
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.