Joseph Huffstutter, MD
Rheumatology · Hixson, TNNPI 1902840788
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by speaking fees: $571,601 of the $742,122 with a category attached, or 77.0%. 37 manufacturers reported payments, led by Lilly USA, LLC at 32.8% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $247,460 and has fallen 61.9% since, to $94,262 in 2025. Among rheumatology 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 2,275 payments — averaging $326.21 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Lilly USA, LLC$244K
- UCB, Inc.$131K
- Johnson & Johnson$117K
- Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC$111K
- Sanofi$39K
- GSK$33K
- plus $67K from 31 others
Across 21 payments — averaging $4291.77 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.
- Eli Lilly$47K
- GSK$42K
- AbbVie$2K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$62,2188%
- Speaking & faculty fees$571,60177%
- Travel & lodging$73,29810%
- Food & beverage$34,6815%
- Education$3240%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lilly USA, LLC | 394 | $243,690 |
| UCB, Inc. | 346 | $131,309 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 224 | $117,409 |
| Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC | 83 | $110,775 |
| Sanofi | 45 | $39,476 |
| GSK | 80 | $32,672 |
| Pfizer | 179 | $27,458 |
| Novartis | 124 | $18,394 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 253 | $5,566 |
| AbbVie | 245 | $4,195 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 30 | $2,449 |
| Eli Lilly | 1 | $2,300 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 1 | $1,113 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 49 | $837 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 37 | $719 |
| Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. | 25 | $548 |
| Radius Health, Inc. | 23 | $446 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 16 | $359 |
| Sandoz | 13 | $299 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 11 | $298 |
| Pacira Therapeutics, Inc. | 20 | $278 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | 6 | $237 |
| Sobi, Inc | 11 | $222 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 11 | $207 |
| Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC | 10 | $184 |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | 8 | $179 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 7 | $154 |
| Organon | 7 | $98 |
| Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 4 | $65 |
| Medtronic | 2 | $44 |
| Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | 3 | $43 |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA | 2 | $29 |
| Gilead | 1 | $16 |
| Celltrion USA Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Fidia Pharma USA Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 1 | $14 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
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
$742,122 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 127 rheumatology 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 |
|---|---|---|
| StrensiqAsfotase Alfa | 13 | $1,820,329 |
| RinvoqUpadacitinib | 22 | $163,039 |
| Enbrel SureclickEtanercept | 16 | $111,754 |
| OrenciaAbatacept | 11 | $72,734 |
| BenlystaBelimumab | 12 | $61,206 |
| Actemra ActpenTocilizumab | 12 | $32,124 |
| MethotrexateMethotrexate Sodium | 613 | $16,895 |
| Pilocarpine Hcl | 53 | $9,291 |
| Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate | 324 | $9,264 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 418 | $8,629 |
| Celecoxib | 138 | $8,015 |
| Leflunomide | 91 | $7,645 |
| Gabapentin | 489 | $4,908 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 160 | $4,255 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 435 | $3,225 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AstraZenecaStrensiq | $719 | $1,820,32913 claims |
| AbbVieRinvoq | $4,195 | $163,03922 claims |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.Orencia | $837 | $72,73411 claims |
| GSKBenlysta | $32,672 | $61,20612 claims |
| Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.Colchicine | $65 | $2,68620 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 127 rheumatology providers in Tennessee.
Other rheumatology in Hixson
- Elizabeth SimpsonHixson$24K
- Alan ElliottHixson$19K
- Jessica HuffstutterHixson$15K
- Brett SmithKnoxville$587K
- Satish OdhavJackson$527K
- Jacob AelionJackson$459K
- Marcus OwenMurfreesboro$324K
- Mohammad AliHendersonville$251K
- Victor ByrdNashville$247K
- Ramesh GuptaMemphis$81K
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.