Stephen Hernandez, MD
Otolaryngology · Baton Rouge, LANPI 1487996187
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 93 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 17 manufacturers reported payments, led by Acclarent, Inc at 38.6% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2022 at $1,673 and has fallen 52.1% since, to $801 in 2025.
Across 93 payments — averaging $61.66 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Acclarent, Inc$2K
- Medtronic$853
- Integra Lifesciences Corporation$824
- Stryker$361
- Aerin Medical Inc.$279
- Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.$210
- plus $995 from 11 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$5,734100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Acclarent, Inc | 27 | $2,212 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 22 | $853 |
| Integra Lifesciences Corporation | 11 | $824 |
| Stryker | 8 | $361 |
| Aerin Medical Inc. | 2 | $279 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 2 | $210 |
| GSK | 4 | $156 |
| Optinose US, Inc. | 3 | $154 |
| Intersect ENT, Inc. | 3 | $133 |
| Kerecis Limited | 1 | $127 |
| Tactile Systems Technology Inc | 1 | $101 |
| Alk-abello, Inc | 1 | $79 |
| Sanofi | 3 | $62 |
| Spirair, Inc. | 1 | $59 |
| Olympus America Inc. | 1 | $52 |
| Polynovo North America LLC | 1 | $38 |
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 2 | $34 |
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.
- TruDi Nav Cable$1,160
- Acclarent Aera$719
- Inspira Air$387
- TruDi Probe$387
- Kerecis Omega3 Marigen$382
- INTEGRA$330
- RELIEVA SPINPLUS NAV$281
- ACCLARENT NAVWIRE Sinus Navigation Guidewire$137
- Kerecis Omega3 SurgiClose$127
- Kerecis Omega3 GraftGuide$127
- PTEYE PARATHYROID DETECTION SYSTEM$127
- LIBTAYO$125
- Xhance$123
- STEALTHSTATION S8 PLATFORM$116
- XPRESS ENT DILATION SYSTEM$113
- INTEGRA DERMAL REGENERATION TEMPLATE$110
- PRIMATRIX$110
- TruDi Navigation System$104
- FLEXITOUCH$101
- ACTITOUCH$101
How this compares
$5,734 in reported general payments places this provider in the 85th percentile of 218 otolaryngology providers in Louisiana.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dupixent PenDupilumab | 13 | $48,453 |
| Ipratropium Bromide | 76 | $2,078 |
| Mometasone Furoate | 18 | $1,340 |
| Mupirocin | 19 | $438 |
| Azelastine Hcl | 15 | $398 |
| Fluticasone Propionate | 26 | $240 |
| Doxycycline Monohydrate | 18 | $183 |
| Amoxicillin-Clavulanate PotassAmoxicillin/Potassium Clav | 13 | $167 |
| Levofloxacin | 24 | $108 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 11 | $44 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other otolaryngology in Baton Rouge
- Henry BarhamBaton Rouge$32K
- James LinBaton Rouge$19K
- Andrew McWhorterBaton Rouge$12K
- Collin SuttonBaton Rouge$10K
- Geoffrey PetersBaton Rouge$7K
- Rula MuallaBaton Rouge$6K
- Christian HallBaton Rouge$5K
- Benjamin WaltonBaton Rouge$5K
- Elliot HardyBaton Rouge$3K
- John WoodBaton Rouge$3K
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.