Koithara Varkey Thomas, MD
Nephrology · Jacksonville, NCNPI 1265474209
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 97.0% of the total across 68 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 18 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 13.3% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. 2025 is the largest year on record at $542, 3.6 times the $152 reported in 2019. That places this record below the midpoint for nephrology clinicians in NC, where the typical reported total is $1,119.
Across 68 payments — averaging $18.65 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.$169
- AstraZeneca$145
- Travere Therapeutics, Inc.$135
- Akebia Therapeutics Inc$98
- Ardelyx, Inc.$94
- Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc.$89
- plus $538 from 12 others
Across 31 payments — averaging $48,404 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.
- AstraZeneca$1M
- Vertex$395K
- Astrazeneca UK Limited$33K
- Eli Lilly$14K
- Akebia Therapeutics Inc$10K
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$1,23197%
- Education$383%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 9 | $169 |
| AstraZeneca | 9 | $145 |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 10 | $135 |
| Akebia Therapeutics Inc | 5 | $98 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 5 | $94 |
| Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc. | 3 | $89 |
| Novartis | 4 | $84 |
| Amgen | 4 | $75 |
| GSK | 4 | $71 |
| Bayer | 4 | $71 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 3 | $54 |
| Sanofi | 2 | $51 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $27 |
| Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. | 1 | $26 |
| Kyowa Kirin, Inc. | 1 | $24 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 1 | $18 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 1 | $17 |
How this compares
$1,268 in reported general payments places this provider in the 50th percentile of 366 nephrology 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 |
|---|---|---|
| XphozahTenapanor Hcl | 12 | $46,693 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 51 | $39,110 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 50 | $34,868 |
| LokelmaSodium Zirconium Cyclosilicate | 25 | $20,795 |
| Sevelamer Carbonate | 13 | $5,438 |
| Midodrine Hcl | 36 | $2,695 |
| Calcitriol | 99 | $1,109 |
| Potassium Chloride | 33 | $999 |
| Calcium Acetate | 12 | $886 |
| Carvedilol | 76 | $738 |
| Nifedipine ErNifedipine | 19 | $684 |
| Furosemide | 136 | $584 |
| Losartan Potassium | 58 | $574 |
| Bumetanide | 14 | $494 |
| Lisinopril | 75 | $478 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AstraZenecaFarxiga, Lokelma | $145 | $59,90676 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $18 | $34,86850 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 50th percentile of 366 nephrology providers in North Carolina.
Other nephrology in Jacksonville
- Gregory GreenwoodWinston-Salem$947K
- Michael EtomiCharlotte$212K
- William KendrickGreenville$125K
- Jason EckelCary$123K
- Raven VooraSanford$111K
- Nam VoAsheville$89K
- Jennifer StoddardPinehurst$77K
- Barry FreedmanWinston Salem$67K
- James McCabeWilmington$56K
- Sammy MoghaziRaleigh$56K
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.