Carol Akerman, DPM
Foot Surgery · Knoxville, TNNPI 1720039779
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 97.0% of the total across 133 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 23 manufacturers reported payments, led by Smith+Nephew at 24.4% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2023 at $1,830 and has fallen 66.3% since, to $617 in 2025.
Across 133 payments — averaging $43.12 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Smith+Nephew$1K
- Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.$620
- Medtronic$591
- Stryker$589
- Triad Life Sciences Inc.$568
- Nevro Corp.$336
- plus $2K from 17 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$5,56297%
- Education$1733%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Smith+Nephew | 42 | $1,399 |
| Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 22 | $620 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 9 | $591 |
| Stryker | 5 | $589 |
| Triad Life Sciences Inc. | 5 | $568 |
| Nevro Corp. | 4 | $336 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 14 | $325 |
| Convatec Inc. | 5 | $200 |
| Rikco International, LLC | 2 | $173 |
| Vaporox, Inc. | 1 | $167 |
| GRT US Holding, Inc. | 3 | $156 |
| AbbVie | 8 | $144 |
| Inari Medical, Inc. | 1 | $131 |
| Ortho Dermatologics, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 1 | $96 |
| Averitas Pharma Inc. | 2 | $46 |
| Arthrosurface Incorporated | 1 | $44 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 2 | $36 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 1 | $31 |
| Integra Lifesciences Corporation | 1 | $26 |
| Osiris Therapeutics Inc. | 1 | $22 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Advanced Oxygen Therapy Inc. | 1 | $10 |
| Cashflow Solutions, LLC | 1 | $9 |
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.
- InnovaMatrix AC$629
- NUZYRA$373
- AUGMENT INJECTABLE$303
- Senza$296
- ENDURANT IIS$284
- Oasis$240
- Grafix$225
- Stravix$225
- SALVATION$167
- VHT-200 Wound Treatment System$167
- DR. COMFORT Diabetic Shoes and Inserts$145
- FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER, S$131
- CT THROMBECTOMY SYSTEM KIT$131
- ORTHOLOC 2 LAPIFUSE$131
- Qutenza$126
- HawkOne$123
- Santyl$122
- REGRANEX$122
- COLLAGENASE SANTYL$122
- GRAFIX PL$107
How this compares
$5,735 in reported general payments places this provider in the 80th percentile of 23 foot surgery 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Itraconazole | 12 | $2,592 |
| Lidocaine-PrilocaineLidocaine/Prilocaine | 11 | $1,681 |
| Cephalexin | 183 | $1,384 |
| Gabapentin | 93 | $1,162 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 116 | $774 |
| Terbinafine Hcl | 45 | $750 |
| Sulfamethoxazole-TrimethoprimSulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim | 63 | $358 |
| Ibuprofen | 18 | $352 |
| Ciclopirox | 11 | $344 |
| Amoxicillin-Clavulanate PotassAmoxicillin/Potassium Clav | 22 | $288 |
| Nystatin | 12 | $266 |
| Pregabalin | 20 | $226 |
| Allopurinol | 23 | $208 |
| Meloxicam | 59 | $150 |
| Azithromycin | 12 | $147 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other foot surgery in Knoxville
- David VelardeKnoxville$11K
- Christopher JuelsCookeville$208K
- Joseph CreazzoMorristown$12K
- David FranklinAlcoa$8K
- Mark WrightMurfreesboro$5K
- James EngblomOak Ridge$2K
- David MoinesterMemphis$2K
- Brian ShwerMemphis$2K
- Brian ChristiansenOak Ridge$2K
- Ignis RetiefNashville$2K
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.