Joel Ledbetter
Pediatric Pulmonology · Chattanooga, TNNPI 1639101785
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — food and beverage (45.2%), speaking fees and consulting fees — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 25 manufacturers reported payments, led by Sobi, Inc at 56.9% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2020 at $2,756 and has fallen 94.4% since, to $154 in 2025. Among pediatric pulmonology clinicians in TN with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 128 payments — averaging $53.74 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Sobi, Inc$4K
- AbbVie$430
- AstraZeneca$317
- Breas Medical, Inc.$228
- Philips North America LLC$224
- Electromed, Inc.$208
- plus $2K from 19 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$1,23018%
- Speaking & faculty fees$2,46036%
- Food & beverage$3,10745%
- Education$821%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sobi, Inc | 11 | $3,915 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 32 | $430 |
| AstraZeneca | 8 | $317 |
| Breas Medical, Inc. | 2 | $228 |
| Philips North America LLC | 4 | $224 |
| Electromed, Inc. | 8 | $208 |
| Vertex | 10 | $205 |
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Inc | 2 | $164 |
| Gilead | 8 | $151 |
| Sanofi | 6 | $143 |
| Alcresta Therapeutics, Inc. | 2 | $140 |
| GSK | 7 | $132 |
| Pharming Healthcare, Inc. | 5 | $112 |
| Insmed, Inc. | 1 | $76 |
| Chiesi USA, Inc. | 4 | $76 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 3 | $62 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 1 | $57 |
| Mylan Specialty L.p. | 2 | $39 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 2 | $38 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 2 | $36 |
| Advanced Respiratory, Inc | 2 | $36 |
| PTC Therapeutics, Inc. | 2 | $29 |
| Nestle Healthcare Nutrition Inc. | 2 | $26 |
| 3b Medical, Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| Vivus LLC | 1 | $14 |
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.
How this compares
$6,879 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 23 pediatric pulmonology providers in Tennessee.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| Azithromycin | 21 | $1,486 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other pediatric pulmonology in Chattanooga
- Matthew KrethChattanooga$124K
- Adam VanmasonChattanooga$3K
- Eric AustinNashville$9K
- Christian Rosas SalazarNashville$6K
- Paul MooreNashville$3K
- Daniel HeintzKnoxville$3K
- Diana QuinteroKnoxville$2K
- Safina KureshiKnoxville$2K
- Stephen FranklinNashville$874
- Mariana Bedoya Pulgar VidalNashville$682
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.