Thomas Romano
Rheumatology · Los Angeles, CANPI 1023031184
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by speaking fees: $99,618 of the $130,985 with a category attached, or 76.1%. 25 manufacturers reported payments, led by AbbVie at 55.8% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $52,375 and has fallen 99.1% since, to $450 in 2025. Among rheumatology clinicians in CA with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 805 payments — averaging $162.71 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AbbVie$73K
- Amgen$40K
- Bristol Myers Squibb$10K
- UCB, Inc.$2K
- GSK$817
- Novartis$685
- plus $4K from 19 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$10,1538%
- Speaking & faculty fees$99,61876%
- Travel & lodging$7,1405%
- Food & beverage$14,06511%
- Education$90%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVie | 201 | $73,031 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 204 | $39,885 |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | 40 | $10,497 |
| UCB, Inc. | 28 | $1,859 |
| GSK | 43 | $817 |
| Novartis | 46 | $685 |
| Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. | 23 | $473 |
| Fidia Pharma USA Inc. | 40 | $438 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | 31 | $401 |
| Pfizer | 35 | $379 |
| Bayer | 2 | $325 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 18 | $298 |
| United Therapeutics Corporation | 15 | $279 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 11 | $278 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 12 | $245 |
| Sanofi | 12 | $235 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 11 | $201 |
| ZOLL Medical Corporation | 1 | $150 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 11 | $144 |
| AstraZeneca | 7 | $114 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 5 | $99 |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA | 5 | $86 |
| IBSA Pharma Inc. | 2 | $37 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Sobi, Inc | 1 | $15 |
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.
How this compares
$130,985 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 808 rheumatology providers in California.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| Diflorasone Diacetate | 49 | $40,731 |
| Tacrolimus | 116 | $37,029 |
| Oxiconazole Nitrate | 50 | $15,163 |
| Tavaborole | 45 | $10,997 |
| Clobetasol Propionate | 62 | $6,426 |
| Ketoconazole | 62 | $3,371 |
| Fluocinonide | 28 | $2,684 |
| Clotrimazole | 49 | $1,578 |
| Halobetasol Propionate | 11 | $946 |
| Permethrin | 18 | $913 |
| Ciclopirox | 26 | $895 |
| Levocetirizine Dihydrochloride | 18 | $113 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other rheumatology in Los Angeles
- Haoling WengLos Angeles$562K
- Glenn EhresmannLos Angeles$450K
- Elizabeth VolkmannLos Angeles$400K
- Daniel ArkfeldLos Angeles$378K
- Maureen McMahonLos Angeles$374K
- Leanna WiseLos Angeles$286K
- Jon GilesLos Angeles$248K
- Christina Charles-SchoemanLos Angeles$231K
- Karina Marianne TorralbaLos Angeles$142K
- Gary FeldmanLos Angeles$116K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.