Thomas Stern, MD
Pulmonary Disease · Huntersville, NCNPI 1083639439
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — speaking fees (55.0%), food and beverage and consulting fees — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. Avadel CNS Pharmaceuticals, LLC accounts for 75.2% of it on its own, with 23 other manufacturers making up the rest. 2025 is the largest year on record at $14,332, more than ten times the $662 reported in 2019. Among pulmonary disease clinicians in NC 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 265 payments — averaging $117.42 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Avadel CNS Pharmaceuticals, LLC$23K
- GSK$2K
- Chiesi USA, Inc.$2K
- Harmony Biosciences LLC$1K
- AstraZeneca$730
- Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.$539
- plus $2K from 18 others
Across 1,867 payments — averaging $2742.83 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.$1.6M
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.$729K
- GSK$625K
- Alkermes, Inc.$608K
- Sanofi US Services Inc.$309K
- AstraZeneca$237K
- plus $1M from 11 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$4,88016%
- Speaking & faculty fees$17,10055%
- Travel & lodging$3,83412%
- Food & beverage$5,22717%
- Education$740%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Avadel CNS Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 51 | $23,412 |
| GSK | 101 | $1,957 |
| Chiesi USA, Inc. | 5 | $1,558 |
| Harmony Biosciences LLC | 9 | $1,355 |
| AstraZeneca | 26 | $730 |
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 12 | $539 |
| Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 26 | $497 |
| Novartis | 2 | $260 |
| Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. | 3 | $121 |
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Inc | 3 | $105 |
| Novo Nordisk | 6 | $103 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 2 | $69 |
| Inogen, Inc. | 4 | $67 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 3 | $51 |
| Philips North America LLC | 1 | $47 |
| Resmed Corp | 1 | $40 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 2 | $37 |
| Sanofi | 1 | $33 |
| Lundbeck LLC | 1 | $31 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 2 | $29 |
| Insmed, Inc. | 1 | $26 |
| Mylan Specialty L.p. | 1 | $20 |
| Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $12 |
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.
- LUMRYZ$22,598
- Wakix$1,200
- NUCALA$352
- Inspire$238
- TRELEGY ELLIPTA$237
- XYWAV$150
- XYREM$150
- Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation System$138
- AREXVY$116
How this compares
$31,116 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 393 pulmonary disease providers in North Carolina.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Trelegy ElliptaFluticasone/Umeclidin/Vilanter | 558 | $451,738 |
| Breztri AerosphereBudesonide/Glycopyr/Formoterol | 57 | $48,823 |
| NucalaMepolizumab | 13 | $47,059 |
| Breo ElliptaFluticasone/Vilanterol | 64 | $39,542 |
| Anoro ElliptaUmeclidinium Brm/Vilanterol Tr | 38 | $37,139 |
| Spiriva RespimatTiotropium Bromide | 20 | $13,777 |
| Stiolto RespimatTiotropium Br/Olodaterol Hcl | 18 | $10,789 |
| Incruse ElliptaUmeclidinium Bromide | 18 | $9,088 |
| Albuterol Sulfate HfaAlbuterol Sulfate | 296 | $8,312 |
| Bevespi AerosphereGlycopyrrolate/Formoterol Fum | 13 | $5,423 |
| Fluticasone-SalmeterolFluticasone Propion/Salmeterol | 42 | $3,662 |
| Wixela InhubFluticasone Propion/Salmeterol | 14 | $2,410 |
| Azelastine Hcl | 53 | $1,424 |
| Ventolin HfaAlbuterol Sulfate | 19 | $1,299 |
| Roflumilast | 23 | $1,141 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| GSKTrelegy Ellipta, Nucala, Breo Ellipta, Anoro Ellipta, Incruse Ellipta | $1,957 | $584,565691 claims |
| AstraZenecaBreztri Aerosphere, Bevespi Aerosphere | $730 | $54,24670 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimSpiriva Respimat, Stiolto Respimat | $51 | $24,56538 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 90th percentile of 393 pulmonary disease providers in North Carolina.
Other pulmonary disease in Huntersville
- Michael PritchettPinehurst$1.3M
- Michael WertGreensboro$412K
- Eugene BleeckerWinston Salem$357K
- Bradley IcardPinehurst$299K
- James DonohueChapel Hill$271K
- Eric MeltzerDurham$262K
- Daniel BreaultWilmington$257K
- Scott SkiboPinehurst$229K
- Jill OharWinston Salem$226K
- Priyank DesaiRocky Mount$199K
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.