James Wheless, MD
Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology · Memphis, TNNPI 1659337855
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by speaking fees: $773,353 of the $1,192,575 with a category attached, or 64.8%. It is spread thinly across 40 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 18.4%. Among neurology with special qualifications in child neurology clinicians in TN with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 1,629 payments — averaging $732.09 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- UCB, Inc.$219K
- Neurelis, Inc.$139K
- Eisai Inc.$130K
- SK Life Science, Inc.$118K
- Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.$111K
- Livanova USA, Inc.$77K
- plus $398K from 34 others
Across 350 payments — averaging $4154.18 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.
- SK Life Science, Inc.$322K
- Neurelis, Inc.$167K
- GW Research Limited$166K
- UCB Biosciences Inc.$152K
- UCB SA$132K
- Immedica Pharma US, Inc.$93K
- plus $422K from 9 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$259,53822%
- Speaking & faculty fees$773,35365%
- Travel & lodging$123,43010%
- Food & beverage$32,6733%
- Education$3,5810%
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.
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.
- Fintepla$218,207
- Epidiolex$176,234
- VALTOCO$136,456
- Fycompa$124,568
- XCOPRI$96,766
- OXTELLAR XR$44,400
- VNS THERAPY SENTIVA MODEL 1000 GENERATOR$44,288
- APTIOM$34,204
- DIACOMIT$33,319
- ACTHAR$19,420
- VNS - Sentiva$17,344
- Briviact$17,061
- ZTALMY$16,561
- Motpoly XR$15,500
- SYMPAZAN$14,444
- VNS Therapy$13,878
- Cenobamate$13,400
- Nayzilam$7,358
- ZONISADE$6,800
- Brineura$6,307
How this compares
$1,192,575 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 47 neurology with special qualifications in child neurology providers in Tennessee.
See all neurology with special qualifications in child neurology 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Everolimus | 34 | $220,403 |
| XcopriCenobamate | 32 | $64,908 |
| Oxtellar XrOxcarbazepine | 20 | $44,867 |
| Lamotrigine ErLamotrigine | 36 | $18,289 |
| Felbamate | 26 | $13,388 |
| Clobazam | 12 | $5,393 |
| Divalproex Sodium ErDivalproex Sodium | 18 | $4,089 |
| Levetiracetam ErLevetiracetam | 22 | $3,357 |
| Zonisamide | 18 | $827 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | 16 | $581 |
| Baclofen | 14 | $468 |
| Risperidone | 22 | $390 |
| Ethosuximide | 11 | $227 |
| Valproic AcidValproic Acid (As Sodium Salt) | 13 | $199 |
| Topiramate | 11 | $57 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| SK Life Science, Inc.Xcopri | $118,301 | $64,90832 claims |
| Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Oxtellar Xr | $45,205 | $44,86720 claims |
| Upsher-smith Laboratories LLCTopiramate | $2,615 | $5711 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 95th percentile of 47 neurology with special qualifications in child neurology providers in Tennessee.
Other neurology with special qualifications in child neurology in Memphis
- Richard FinkelMemphis$353K
- Kathleen Nicole JalandoniMemphis$15K
- Stephen FultonMemphis$2K
- Connor GatewoodMemphis$2K
- Robin JackMemphis$2K
- Marianna Rivas-CoppolaMemphis$1K
- Namrata ShahMemphis$1K
- Ankita GhoshMemphis$1K
- Andrew SchroederMemphis$1K
- Jenny SchmidtMemphis$787
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.