Joshua Baru, MD
Hospice and Palliative Medicine · Asheville, NCNPI 1962571927
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 26 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. It is spread thinly across 15 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 16.9% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Among hospice and palliative medicine clinicians in NC 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 26 payments — averaging $19.94 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Johnson & Johnson$88
- Novartis$67
- Pfizer$64
- AbbVie$61
- Eisai Inc.$42
- GSK$24
- plus $174 from 9 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$518100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson & Johnson | 5 | $88 |
| Novartis | 3 | $67 |
| Pfizer | 3 | $64 |
| AbbVie | 3 | $61 |
| Eisai Inc. | 2 | $42 |
| GSK | 1 | $24 |
| G1 Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $23 |
| Servier Pharmaceuticals LLC | 1 | $22 |
| Sobi, Inc | 1 | $21 |
| Tactile Systems Technology Inc | 1 | $20 |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | 1 | $19 |
| Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 1 | $19 |
| Sanofi | 1 | $18 |
| Merck | 1 | $13 |
How this compares
$518 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 45 hospice and palliative medicine providers in North Carolina.
See all hospice and palliative medicine providers in North Carolina →
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Xtampza ErOxycodone Myristate | 31 | $23,606 |
| OxycontinOxycodone Hcl | 15 | $8,278 |
| Fentanyl | 43 | $7,672 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 111 | $3,431 |
| Hydromorphone Hcl | 40 | $1,480 |
| Granisetron Hcl | 15 | $1,178 |
| Duloxetine Hcl | 63 | $1,009 |
| Lidocaine | 14 | $976 |
| Morphine Sulfate ErMorphine Sulfate | 31 | $738 |
| Gabapentin | 63 | $674 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 28 | $543 |
| Amitriptyline Hcl | 31 | $492 |
| Pregabalin | 27 | $468 |
| Bupropion XlBupropion Hcl | 12 | $335 |
| Ondansetron OdtOndansetron | 11 | $301 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other hospice and palliative medicine in Asheville
- Lori ThompsonAsheville$213
- Caroline KnoxAsheville$15
- Julie ChildersDurham$804
- Kimberly ChekanCharlotte$537
- Maegan RigginSalisbury$442
- Regina McPhersonChapel Hill$426
- Kevin ChengCharlotte$279
- William PorterCharlotte$211
- David MooreWinston Salem$201
- Robert SmithCharlotte$196
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.