Thomas Hester, MD
Otology & Neurotology · Charleston, SCNPI 1154361624
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 12 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 6 manufacturers reported payments, led by Stryker at 31.0% of the total.
Across 12 payments — averaging $53.23 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Stryker$198
- Medtronic$180
- Neurent Medical Limited$114
- Integra Lifesciences Corporation$54
- Aerin Medical Inc.$51
- Acclarent, Inc$43
Across 7 payments — averaging $4680.00 each. An ownership or investment interest held by the physician or an immediate family member.
- The North Carolina Mutual Wholesale Drug Company Inc$33K
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$639100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stryker | 2 | $198 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $180 |
| Neurent Medical Limited | 2 | $114 |
| Integra Lifesciences Corporation | 3 | $54 |
| Aerin Medical Inc. | 1 | $51 |
| Acclarent, Inc | 3 | $43 |
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.
- StealthStation$180
- SCOPIS ENT$176
How this compares
Too few otology & neurotology providers in South Carolinato 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fluticasone Propionate | 132 | $2,037 |
| Azelastine Hcl | 36 | $1,124 |
| Mometasone Furoate | 12 | $865 |
| Ofloxacin | 21 | $843 |
| Prednisone | 74 | $228 |
| CefuroximeCefuroxime Axetil | 14 | $215 |
| Montelukast Sodium | 22 | $182 |
| Ipratropium Bromide | 12 | $165 |
| Mupirocin | 25 | $137 |
| Omeprazole | 20 | $70 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 14 | $35 |
| Ondansetron Hcl | 12 | $26 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other otology & neurotology in Charleston
- Habib RizkCharleston$107
- Brent WilkersonGreenville$3K
- Tab ThompsonColumbia$2K
- Benjamin PaysingerColumbia$110
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.