Ernest Howard, MD
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation · Atlanta, GANPI 1568449478
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.2% of the total across 149 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 16 manufacturers reported payments, led by Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. at 44.6% of the total.
Across 149 payments — averaging $18.02 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.$1K
- Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC$565
- Redhill Biopharma Inc.$195
- Pfizer$191
- Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA$149
- Biodelivery Sciences International, Inc.$83
- plus $305 from 10 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$2,66499%
- Education$211%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 69 | $1,196 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 28 | $565 |
| Redhill Biopharma Inc. | 15 | $195 |
| Pfizer | 10 | $191 |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA | 7 | $149 |
| Biodelivery Sciences International, Inc. | 4 | $83 |
| Merck | 3 | $60 |
| Valinor Pharma, LLC | 3 | $56 |
| Forte Bio-pharma LLC | 2 | $39 |
| Protega Pharmaceutials Inc | 2 | $31 |
| Nevro Corp. | 1 | $22 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. | 1 | $21 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 1 | $21 |
| Idorsia Pharmaceuticals US Inc | 1 | $18 |
| AstraZeneca | 1 | $15 |
How this compares
$2,685 in reported general payments places this provider in the 80th percentile of 214 physical medicine & rehabilitation providers in Georgia.
See all physical medicine & rehabilitation providers in Georgia →
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 3,341 | $97,472 |
| Xtampza ErOxycodone Myristate | 141 | $71,576 |
| BelsomraSuvorexant | 109 | $47,840 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 1,342 | $33,967 |
| OxycontinOxycodone Hcl | 34 | $27,066 |
| Buprenorphine | 87 | $21,438 |
| BotoxOnabotulinumtoxina | 15 | $19,098 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 854 | $17,263 |
| Morphine Sulfate ErMorphine Sulfate | 650 | $13,863 |
| Pregabalin | 685 | $12,626 |
| BelbucaBuprenorphine Hcl | 16 | $11,652 |
| LyricaPregabalin | 13 | $11,093 |
| MovantikNaloxegol Oxalate | 19 | $9,025 |
| Diclofenac Sodium | 92 | $7,403 |
| Fentanyl | 72 | $6,588 |
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, Belbuca | $1,196 | $83,228157 claims |
| MerckBelsomra | $60 | $47,840109 claims |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USABuprenorphine, Morphine Sulfate | $149 | $23,694169 claims |
| PfizerLyrica | $191 | $11,09313 claims |
| Redhill Biopharma Inc.Movantik | $195 | $9,02519 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 80th percentile of 214 physical medicine & rehabilitation providers in Georgia.
Other physical medicine & rehabilitation in Atlanta
- Erik ShawAtlanta$175K
- Abana AzariahAtlanta$22K
- Michael SchaufeleAtlanta$20K
- Gerald BilskyAtlanta$16K
- Malcolm CarsonAtlanta$9K
- Michael ChuAtlanta$7K
- Michael YochelsonAtlanta$7K
- Derick DavisAtlanta$6K
- Ashish KhannaAtlanta$6K
- Robert GodsallAtlanta$4K
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.