Thomas Whalen
Pain Medicine · Albuquerque, NMNPI 1134120645
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by food and beverage: $3,480 of the $4,258 with a category attached, or 81.7%. 15 manufacturers reported payments, led by Nevro Corp. at 47.4% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2022 at $1,816 and has fallen 96.9% since, to $56 in 2024.
Across 186 payments — averaging $22.89 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Nevro Corp.$2K
- Electronic Waveform Lab, Inc.$587
- Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.$535
- AbbVie$319
- Abbott$148
- Biodelivery Sciences International, Inc.$111
- plus $542 from 9 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$77718%
- Food & beverage$3,48082%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nevro Corp. | 52 | $2,016 |
| Electronic Waveform Lab, Inc. | 39 | $587 |
| Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 28 | $535 |
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 23 | $319 |
| Abbott | 7 | $148 |
| Biodelivery Sciences International, Inc. | 8 | $111 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 5 | $102 |
| Amgen | 4 | $91 |
| Pfizer | 6 | $83 |
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 4 | $80 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 4 | $73 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 3 | $50 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. | 1 | $22 |
| GRT US Holding, Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| Avanos Medical | 1 | $21 |
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.
- Senza$1,029
How this compares
$4,258 in reported general payments places this provider in the 65th percentile of 36 pain medicine providers in New Mexico.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| BelbucaBuprenorphine Hcl | 21 | $4,325 |
| Oxycodone-AcetaminophenOxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 16 | $1,104 |
| Buprenorphine Hcl | 15 | $1,034 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | 29 | $456 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 29 | $376 |
| Duloxetine Hcl | 25 | $311 |
| Hydroxyzine Hcl | 15 | $270 |
| Ibuprofen | 20 | $264 |
| Pregabalin | 14 | $152 |
| Cyclobenzaprine Hcl | 14 | $92 |
| Trazodone Hcl | 22 | $51 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.Belbuca | $80 | $4,32521 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 65th percentile of 36 pain medicine providers in New Mexico.
Other pain medicine in Albuquerque
- John WatkinsAlbuquerque$22K
- Craig RumbaughAlbuquerque$11K
- Eugene KoshkinAlbuquerque$10K
- Matthew BergstenAlbuquerque$7K
- Lauren HarrisAlbuquerque$6K
- Melissa MerhegeAlbuquerque$5K
- Jeremy ChastainAlbuquerque$5K
- Joshu RaitenAlbuquerque$4K
- Matthew ValerianoAlbuquerque$4K
- Umar CheemaAlbuquerque$4K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.