Michael Hillegass, MD
Pain Medicine · Charleston, SCNPI 1124225552
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
6 manufacturers reported payments, led by Relievant Medsystems, Inc. at 39.5% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2021 at $1,123 and has fallen 90.5% since, to $107 in 2025. That places this record below the midpoint for pain medicine clinicians in SC, where the typical reported total is $2,431.
Across 22 payments — averaging $109.44 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Relievant Medsystems, Inc.$951
- Nalu Medical, Inc.$792
- Abbott$222
- Boston Scientific$172
- Nevro Corp.$164
- MML US, Inc.$107
Across 3 payments — averaging $417.67 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.
- Boston Scientific$1K
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$1,23251%
- Food & beverage$1,17549%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Relievant Medsystems, Inc. | 6 | $951 |
| Nalu Medical, Inc. | 6 | $792 |
| Abbott | 5 | $222 |
| Boston Scientific | 2 | $172 |
| Nevro Corp. | 2 | $164 |
| MML US, Inc. | 1 | $107 |
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.
- Intracept$1,848
- Nalu Neurostimulation System$669
- Senza$148
- Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs$122
- ReActiv8$107
- SPECTRA WAVEWRITER$103
How this compares
$2,408 in reported general payments places this provider in the 45th percentile of 92 pain medicine providers in South 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NucyntaTapentadol Hcl | 13 | $27,711 |
| OxycontinOxycodone Hcl | 22 | $7,503 |
| Buprenorphine | 18 | $6,458 |
| Fentanyl | 24 | $3,018 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 88 | $2,086 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 85 | $2,010 |
| Gabapentin | 75 | $1,378 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 69 | $1,104 |
| Pregabalin | 43 | $686 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | 41 | $660 |
| Celecoxib | 31 | $617 |
| Methadone Hcl | 26 | $579 |
| Tramadol Hcl ErTramadol Hcl | 12 | $453 |
| Duloxetine Hcl | 19 | $401 |
| Nortriptyline Hcl | 12 | $308 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other pain medicine in Charleston
- Andrew MendelsonCharleston$19K
- Martin BurkeCharleston$11K
- Ameet NagpalCharleston$9K
- Justin WikleCharleston$5K
- Robert SullivanCharleston$5K
- Derrick RandallCharleston$3K
- Edward TavelCharleston$2K
- Meron SelassieCharleston$2K
- Ann FoxxCharleston$1K
- Phillip SmithGreenville$303K
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.