Richard Epter
Interventional Pain Medicine · Augusta, GANPI 1629047766
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — food and beverage (38.0%), speaking fees and education — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 28 manufacturers reported payments, led by Nevro Corp. at 38.4% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2024 at $18,749 and has fallen 68.7% since, to $5,860 in 2025. Among interventional pain medicine clinicians in GA with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 289 payments — averaging $108.41 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Nevro Corp.$12K
- Painteq LLC$9K
- Globus Medical$3K
- Boston Scientific$2K
- Spinal Simplicity, LLC$2K
- Abbott$484
- plus $2K from 22 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$1,7856%
- Speaking & faculty fees$9,81831%
- Travel & lodging$5452%
- Food & beverage$11,90038%
- Education$7,28323%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nevro Corp. | 52 | $12,028 |
| Painteq LLC | 47 | $9,211 |
| Globus Medical | 32 | $3,279 |
| Boston Scientific | 79 | $2,164 |
| Spinal Simplicity, LLC | 33 | $2,043 |
| Abbott | 6 | $484 |
| Biotronik NRO, Inc. | 5 | $475 |
| Vertos Medical, Inc. | 6 | $427 |
| Stimwave Technologies Incorporated | 3 | $209 |
| Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 5 | $161 |
| MML US, Inc. | 1 | $129 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $125 |
| Acacia Pharma Inc | 1 | $110 |
| Nalu Medical, Inc. | 1 | $94 |
| Curonix LLC | 1 | $86 |
| SPR Therapeutics, Inc | 1 | $48 |
| MDD US Operations, LLC | 2 | $38 |
| Saluda Medical Americas, Inc. | 1 | $34 |
| Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $32 |
| Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $30 |
| Pacira Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $25 |
| IBSA Pharma Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| Averitas Pharma Inc. | 1 | $17 |
| Assertio Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Pfizer | 1 | $13 |
| Fidia Pharma USA Inc. | 1 | $13 |
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
| Kerecis Limited | 1 | $7 |
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.
- Vyrsa V1$9,818
- PAINTEQ$8,144
- Senza$3,123
- HA MINUTEMAN G3-R$1,133
- Prospera$414
- Omnia$336
- mild Device Kit$248
- SPECTRA WAVEWRITER$209
- PROCLAIM$164
- Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs$150
- ReActiv8$129
- Morphabond ER$125
- Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System$117
- GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT$117
- BYFAVO$110
How this compares
$31,330 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 129 interventional pain medicine providers in Georgia.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| BelbucaBuprenorphine Hcl | 19 | $11,375 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 256 | $6,230 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 146 | $3,763 |
| Buprenorphine | 11 | $3,130 |
| Pregabalin | 77 | $2,842 |
| Baclofen | 93 | $1,854 |
| Gabapentin | 80 | $1,728 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 85 | $1,563 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 65 | $1,019 |
| Acetaminophen-CodeineAcetaminophen With Codeine | 17 | $461 |
| Celecoxib | 11 | $445 |
| Morphine Sulfate ErMorphine Sulfate | 12 | $310 |
| Cyclobenzaprine Hcl | 28 | $289 |
| Amitriptyline Hcl | 17 | $238 |
| Duloxetine Hcl | 22 | $231 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.Belbuca | $12 | $11,37519 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 90th percentile of 129 interventional pain medicine providers in Georgia.
Other interventional pain medicine in Augusta
- Shalin ShahAugusta$6K
- Emmanuel GageBrunswick$602K
- Jordan TateJasper$540K
- Christopher BovinetBrunswick$338K
- David RosenfeldCovington$249K
- Nathan NeufeldNewnan$171K
- Ryan BudwanyLawrenceville$123K
- Alexandra MoreiraAtlanta$79K
- Sushanth BodaNewnan$55K
- Christopher AndrianoStockbridge$41K
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.