Diana Fernandez-Schmidt
Neurology · Hickory, NCNPI 1801831177
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 98 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 AbbVie at 28.1% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $523 and has fallen 88.6% since, to $60 in 2025.
Across 98 payments — averaging $19.43 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AbbVie$536
- Novartis$181
- Medtronic$141
- Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.$114
- Amgen$113
- Lilly USA, LLC$85
- plus $735 from 17 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$1,904100%
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) | 28 | $536 |
| Novartis | 12 | $181 |
| Medtronic | 5 | $141 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 8 | $114 |
| Amgen | 3 | $113 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 6 | $85 |
| SK Life Science, Inc. | 4 | $77 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. | 4 | $68 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 3 | $66 |
| Sanofi | 3 | $62 |
| Biogen | 3 | $59 |
| Abbott | 1 | $59 |
| Livanova USA, Inc. | 1 | $58 |
| AstraZeneca | 2 | $56 |
| UCB, Inc. | 3 | $43 |
| Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | 2 | $38 |
| Tanabe Pharma America, Inc. | 2 | $32 |
| Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $29 |
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC | 2 | $23 |
| EMD Serono, Inc. | 1 | $22 |
| Lundbeck LLC | 1 | $17 |
| GE HealthCare | 1 | $14 |
| Arbor Pharmaceuticals, 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.
- UBRELVY$125
How this compares
$1,904 in reported general payments places this provider in the 60th percentile of 566 neurology providers in North Carolina.
Other neurology in Hickory
- Jill ConwayCharlotte$1M
- Matthew CarraroCharlotte$695K
- Richard SaterGreensboro$682K
- Sara SaccoMatthews$651K
- Megan DonnellyCharlotte$601K
- Kevin KahnDurham$587K
- Sanjay IyerCharlotte$581K
- Mark SkeenDurham$562K
- Douglas JefferyMooresville$486K
- John ScagnelliRaleigh$429K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.