David Walega, MD
Interventional Pain Medicine · Columbus, OHNPI 1346273562
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — speaking fees (36.0%), food and beverage and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 21 manufacturers reported payments, led by Avanos Medical at 42.1% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $17,115 and has fallen 73.5% since, to $4,534 in 2025.
Across 289 payments — averaging $128.27 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Avanos Medical$16K
- Boston Scientific$5K
- GRT US Holding, Inc.$4K
- Medtronic$3K
- Biotronik NRO, Inc.$3K
- Abbott$2K
- plus $6K from 15 others
Across 3 payments — averaging $12,985 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- Avanos Medical$27K
- Pfizer$11K
- Biotissue Holdings Inc.$1K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$3,5009%
- Speaking & faculty fees$13,32836%
- Travel & lodging$9,07124%
- Food & beverage$11,11230%
- Education$610%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Avanos Medical | 8 | $15,603 |
| Boston Scientific | 126 | $5,262 |
| GRT US Holding, Inc. | 2 | $3,500 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 39 | $2,746 |
| Biotronik NRO, Inc. | 21 | $2,695 |
| Abbott | 19 | $1,704 |
| Relievant Medsystems, Inc. | 6 | $1,502 |
| Nevro Corp. | 11 | $1,266 |
| Saluda Medical Americas, Inc. | 10 | $901 |
| Curonix LLC | 5 | $576 |
| Tersera Therapeutics LLC | 15 | $436 |
| Vertos Medical, Inc. | 9 | $347 |
| Stryker | 6 | $249 |
| Stimwave Technologies Incorporated | 1 | $93 |
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 3 | $52 |
| AbbVie | 2 | $44 |
| Vertex | 2 | $30 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 1 | $23 |
| Pfizer | 1 | $16 |
| Protega Pharmaceutials Inc | 1 | $15 |
| SPR Therapeutics, Inc | 1 | $13 |
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.
- COOLIEF$14,045
- Qutenza$3,500
- Intracept$3,218
- Prospera$2,232
- COOLIEF* COOLED RADIOFREQUENCY$1,559
- Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System$1,116
- WAVEWRITER ALPHA$678
- VANTA ADAPTIVESTIM$596
- PNS FREEDOM-4A PERMANENT NEUROSTIMULATOR RECEIVER KIT CHANNEL A$539
- INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM$508
- Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs$420
- GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT$374
- WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16$358
- Evoke$346
- Evoke SCS$325
- Proclaim IPG$309
- PROCLAIM$259
- mild Device Kit$257
- ETERNA$249
- INCEPTIV$246
How this compares
$37,071 in reported general payments places this provider in the 85th percentile of 67 interventional pain medicine providers in Ohio.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Xtampza ErOxycodone Myristate | 14 | $8,445 |
| Buprenorphine | 16 | $3,007 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 111 | $2,165 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 113 | $1,941 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 98 | $1,637 |
| Gabapentin | 48 | $1,368 |
| Pregabalin | 40 | $1,180 |
| Morphine Sulfate ErMorphine Sulfate | 31 | $703 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | 73 | $574 |
| Methadone Hcl | 27 | $545 |
| Topiramate | 31 | $443 |
| Clonidine | 12 | $383 |
| Morphine Sulfate | 12 | $366 |
| Duloxetine Hcl | 23 | $325 |
| Hydromorphone Hcl | 21 | $232 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.Xtampza Er | $52 | $8,44514 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 85th percentile of 67 interventional pain medicine providers in Ohio.
Other interventional pain medicine in Columbus
- Gladstone McDowellColumbus$660K
- Steven BhutraColumbus$13K
- Jayesh VallabhColumbus$4K
- Humam AkbikFairfield$116K
- Sara NashiCincinnati$116K
- Jaudat MahmoodKent$97K
- Omar AliSpringfield$67K
- Dustin ReynoldsWesterville$61K
- James OttingToledo$47K
- Mark MalinowskiChillicothe$39K
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.