Thomas Howard, MD
Rheumatology · South Charleston, WVNPI 1396713137
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.3% of the total across 55 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 9 manufacturers reported payments, led by Amgen at 26.3% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $308 and has fallen 83.9% since, to $50 in 2024. That places this record below the midpoint for rheumatology clinicians in WV, where the typical reported total is $1,762.
Across 55 payments — averaging $18.24 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Amgen$264
- AbbVie$210
- Pfizer$208
- Novartis$149
- Sanofi$71
- AstraZeneca$36
- plus $65 from 3 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$99699%
- Education$71%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amgen(2 entities) | 18 | $264 |
| AbbVie | 10 | $210 |
| Pfizer | 13 | $208 |
| Novartis | 4 | $149 |
| Sanofi | 4 | $71 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 2 | $36 |
| GSK | 2 | $36 |
| Medexus Pharma, Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $13 |
How this compares
$1,003 in reported general payments places this provider in the 35th percentile of 26 rheumatology providers in West Virginia.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Humira(Cf) PenAdalimumab | 128 | $999,138 |
| Enbrel MiniEtanercept | 91 | $689,031 |
| Xeljanz XrTofacitinib Citrate | 119 | $686,770 |
| EnbrelEtanercept | 43 | $369,467 |
| RinvoqUpadacitinib | 54 | $351,938 |
| SimponiGolimumab | 42 | $267,708 |
| Humira(Cf)Adalimumab | 34 | $252,351 |
| OtezlaApremilast | 42 | $203,792 |
| XeljanzTofacitinib Citrate | 23 | $143,837 |
| BenlystaBelimumab | 12 | $55,196 |
| TymlosAbaloparatide | 11 | $27,579 |
| Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate | 580 | $22,576 |
| MethotrexateMethotrexate Sodium | 768 | $16,240 |
| Leflunomide | 146 | $7,385 |
| Cevimeline Hcl | 19 | $6,458 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVieRinvoq, Humira(Cf) | $210 | $604,28988 claims |
| AmgenEnbrel, Otezla | $264 | $573,25985 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonSimponi | $13 | $267,70842 claims |
| PfizerXeljanz | $208 | $143,83723 claims |
| GSKBenlysta | $36 | $55,19612 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. Against peers, this provider's reported payments sit in the 35th percentile of 26 rheumatology providers in West Virginia.
Other rheumatology in South Charleston
- Suzanne GharibSouth Charleston$581K
- Michael IstfanSouth Charleston$25K
- Wassim SaikaliBeckley$1.1M
- Mirza BegHuntington$20K
- Leah TriplettCharleston$19K
- Brian HoustonMorgantown$10K
- Charles JusticeCharleston$6K
- Michael RezaianMartinsburg$5K
- Arash HassantoufighiMartinsburg$5K
- Silera Holguin BalbuenaCharleston$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.