Richard Hillesheim, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery · Bristol, TNNPI 1295269660
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — education (46.2%), food and beverage and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 13 manufacturers reported payments, led by Crossroads Orthopedics, LLC at 47.7% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2022 at $2,490 and has fallen 74.6% since, to $633 in 2025.
Across 44 payments — averaging $117.96 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Crossroads Orthopedics, LLC$2K
- Arthrex$931
- Skeletal Dynamics Inc$803
- Stryker$197
- Axogen$180
- Medtronic$156
- plus $448 from 7 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$77215%
- Food & beverage$2,01839%
- Education$2,40046%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Crossroads Orthopedics, LLC | 6 | $2,475 |
| Arthrex | 13 | $931 |
| Skeletal Dynamics Inc | 14 | $803 |
| Stryker | 2 | $197 |
| Axogen | 1 | $180 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $156 |
| Medacta USA, Inc. | 1 | $136 |
| Acumed LLC | 1 | $84 |
| Smoky Mountain Surgical LLC | 1 | $74 |
| Integra Lifesciences Corporation | 1 | $69 |
| Access Pro Medical, LLC | 1 | $57 |
| Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Trimed, Inc. | 1 | $13 |
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.
- Geminus$222
- Align$222
- IJS$222
- Implate$222
- AVANCE NERVE GRAFT$180
- INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM$156
- PRIMARY SHOULDER$136
- INSPACE$114
How this compares
$5,190 in reported general payments places this provider in the 55th percentile of 381 orthopaedic surgery providers in Tennessee.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Diclofenac Sodium | 15 | $360 |
| Meloxicam | 123 | $314 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 63 | $296 |
| Ondansetron Hcl | 53 | $148 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 23 | $141 |
| Methylprednisolone | 14 | $113 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other orthopaedic surgery in Bristol
- John PhillipsBristol$58K
- Paul BradyKnoxville$20M
- Edwin SpencerKnoxville$2.5M
- Jesse DotyChattanooga$2.3M
- Thomas ThrockmortonGermantown$1.7M
- Alton HunterColumbia$820K
- Jefferson MorrisonNashville$678K
- Michael BeebeMemphis$626K
- Gregory PolkowskiNashville$526K
- Matthew WillisNashville$498K
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.