Melissa Kouns, MD
Hospice and Palliative Medicine · Edgewood, KYNPI 1194024315
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 102 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 23 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 13.5% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Reporting peaked in 2020 at $709 and has fallen 89.5% since, to $74 in 2024. Among hospice and palliative medicine clinicians in KY 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 102 payments — averaging $15.09 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Johnson & Johnson$207
- Novo Nordisk$182
- AbbVie$175
- Amarin Pharma, Inc.$162
- Lilly USA, LLC$143
- Pfizer$126
- plus $544 from 17 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$1,539100%
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 | 15 | $207 |
| Novo Nordisk | 11 | $182 |
| AbbVie | 12 | $175 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 14 | $162 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 9 | $143 |
| Pfizer | 10 | $126 |
| Amgen | 5 | $84 |
| Stryker | 1 | $74 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 4 | $66 |
| Merck | 3 | $48 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 2 | $39 |
| GSK | 3 | $39 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 2 | $30 |
| AstraZeneca | 2 | $25 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 1 | $24 |
| Eisai Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | 1 | $17 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 1 | $16 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 1 | $14 |
| Circassia Inc. | 1 | $12 |
| Bayer | 1 | $12 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
How this compares
$1,539 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 23 hospice and palliative medicine providers in Kentucky.
See all hospice and palliative medicine providers in Kentucky →
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Oxycodone Hcl | 70 | $1,356 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 13 | $260 |
| Morphine Sulfate ErMorphine Sulfate | 16 | $238 |
| Lurasidone Hcl | 12 | $172 |
| Gabapentin | 12 | $64 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other hospice and palliative medicine in Edgewood
- Laura TriceEdgewood$92
- Robin RinehartEdgewood$33
- Lauren RothEdgewood$18
- William TravisLouisville$5K
- Derrick StrunkErlanger$2K
- Regina KaurLexington$2K
- Mabel KyinnLouisville$254
- Denise PhillipsLexington$190
- Ashley IlesLouisville$184
- Melanie FarrellOwensboro$155
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.