Question 1

Has Stephen Helgemo, MD received payments from drug or device companies?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Drug and device makers reported $19 in general payments to Stephen Helgemo, MD across 1 transactions between 2019–2025. Most Open Payments records nationally are meals worth under $20; a reported payment is not evidence of wrongdoing.

Question 2

Does a payment mean Stephen Helgemo, MD did something wrong?

Accepted Answer

No. Federal law requires drug and device makers to report almost every transfer of value to a physician, including a $14 sandwich at a lunch presentation. Consulting fees, research funding and royalties to device inventors are ordinary, legal parts of medicine. This site reports what was disclosed; it makes no allegation.

Question 3

Where does this information about Stephen Helgemo, MD come from?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Payments come from Open Payments, published under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. Billing and prescribing figures come from the Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners and Part D Prescriber public use files for 2024.

Drug	Claims	Cost to plans & patients
Tramadol Hcl-AcetaminophenTramadol Hcl/Acetaminophen	57	$292
Prednisone	31	$151
Methylprednisolone	22	$148
Sulfamethoxazole-TrimethoprimSulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim	26	$103

Stephen Helgemo, MD

Payments from drug & device makers

Who reported the general payments

How this compares

Medicare billing

Most prescribed under Part D

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