Robert Nicholson, MD
Orthopedic Surgery · Hammond, LANPI 1124417373
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 81 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 11 manufacturers reported payments, led by Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. at 25.2% of the total.
Across 81 payments — averaging $18.06 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.$368
- Valinor Pharma, LLC$303
- Forte Bio-pharma LLC$242
- Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC$198
- Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.$99
- Novartis$94
- plus $159 from 5 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$1,463100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 25 | $368 |
| Valinor Pharma, LLC | 22 | $303 |
| Forte Bio-pharma LLC | 14 | $242 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 6 | $198 |
| Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 5 | $99 |
| Novartis | 1 | $94 |
| Virtus Pharmaceuticals LLC | 3 | $75 |
| Sentynl Therapeutics, Inc. | 2 | $24 |
| Vertex | 1 | $24 |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA | 1 | $18 |
| Nevro Corp. | 1 | $17 |
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.
- RELISTOR$114
- ALDARA$114
How this compares
Too few orthopedic surgery providers in Louisianato place this figure against a meaningful peer group, so we don't.
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-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 1,427 | $1,367,429 |
| BelbucaBuprenorphine Hcl | 150 | $120,888 |
| Xtampza ErOxycodone Myristate | 184 | $120,774 |
| RelistorMethylnaltrexone Bromide | 44 | $95,482 |
| UbrelvyUbrogepant | 27 | $70,926 |
| Nurtec OdtRimegepant Sulfate | 32 | $60,792 |
| OxycontinOxycodone Hcl | 83 | $57,495 |
| ProlateOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 18 | $49,514 |
| MovantikNaloxegol Oxalate | 86 | $33,735 |
| NucyntaTapentadol Hcl | 23 | $30,419 |
| ZtlidoLidocaine | 65 | $22,084 |
| Fentanyl | 176 | $20,613 |
| Nucynta ErTapentadol Hcl | 15 | $20,043 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 1,037 | $18,474 |
| Tramadol Hcl ErTramadol Hcl | 247 | $14,272 |
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, Xtampza Er, Nucynta, Nucynta Er | $368 | $292,124372 claims |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLCRelistor | $198 | $95,48244 claims |
| Forte Bio-pharma LLCProlate | $242 | $49,51418 claims |
| Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.Ztlido | $99 | $22,08465 claims |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USAMorphine Sulfate | $18 | $54521 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. There are too few orthopedic surgery providers in Louisianaon file to place this against a meaningful peer group, so we don't.
Other orthopedic surgery in Hammond
- Edward YergerLafayette$39K
- Luis EspinozaKenner$11K
- Joseph BoucreeSlidell$7K
- Michael HollandJennings$4K
- Thomas LyonsKenner$1K
- Paul van DeventerMandeville$1K
- Carl GoodmanShreveport$401
- John SchutteLafayette$35
- Douglas BernardNew Iberia$0
- Ronald SylvestBaton Rouge$0
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.