Thomas Carter, DO
Nephrology · Opelika, ALNPI 1366555674
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 42 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 10 manufacturers reported payments, led by Akebia Therapeutics Inc at 27.4% of the total. 2025 is the largest year on record at $397, 6.7 times the $59 reported in 2019. That places this record below the midpoint for nephrology clinicians in AL, where the typical reported total is $1,897.
Across 42 payments — averaging $24.88 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Akebia Therapeutics Inc$287
- Ardelyx, Inc.$122
- Novartis$121
- Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.$115
- AstraZeneca$114
- Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.$94
- plus $192 from 4 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$1,045100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Akebia Therapeutics Inc | 7 | $287 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 5 | $122 |
| Novartis | 4 | $121 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | 6 | $115 |
| AstraZeneca | 6 | $114 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 4 | $94 |
| Bayer | 5 | $76 |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 3 | $64 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 1 | $30 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 1 | $22 |
How this compares
$1,045 in reported general payments places this provider in the 35th percentile of 164 nephrology providers in Alabama.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sevelamer Carbonate | 20 | $8,883 |
| Pentoxifylline | 96 | $2,416 |
| Nifedipine ErNifedipine | 40 | $1,850 |
| Calcium Acetate | 11 | $1,184 |
| Calcitriol | 45 | $931 |
| Losartan Potassium | 71 | $824 |
| Lidocaine-PrilocaineLidocaine/Prilocaine | 12 | $394 |
| Ondansetron Hcl | 11 | $370 |
| Omeprazole | 13 | $253 |
| Clonidine Hcl | 15 | $139 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 23 | $109 |
| Prednisone | 15 | $101 |
| Carvedilol | 17 | $98 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 13 | $94 |
| Hydrochlorothiazide | 11 | $20 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other nephrology in Opelika
- Michael QuadriniHuntsville$323K
- Dana RizkBirmingham$196K
- Sumeet MunjalMontgomery$191K
- Eric WallaceBirmingham$172K
- Phillip MadoniaAlabaster$165K
- Thomas OzbirnHomewood$133K
- David WarnockBirmingham$128K
- Jeffrey GlazeHomewood$98K
- Michal MrugBirmingham$73K
- Vineeta KumarBirmingham$59K
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.