Payment overview · 2025
General Payments
$492.99
51 reported records · 5 companies
Healthcare provider profile · identity verified
Tao Chen, MD
Allopathic & Osteopathic Physicians|Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation|Pain Medicine · MOBILE, AL · NPI 1316130743
Verified facts
What the public records show
CMS Open Payments records show Tao Chen, MD received $492.99 in general payments during 2025 across 51 reported records.
Forte Bio-Pharma LLC accounted for 52.4% of that reported general-payment amount.
The Open Payments records used for this analysis explicitly named 8 associated products.
A separate comparison found the same explicitly named product in public Medicare Part D data: Prolate, Relistor.
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. reported payments to this doctor in 2025. Across the 2025 Open Payments General Payment records loaded for this analysis, that same reporting entity reported BELBUCA as an associated drug or biological on 17475 records involving 4385 distinct recipient NPIs. Public Medicare Part D data also shows 51 claims for Belbuca by this doctor in 2024.
Forte Bio-Pharma LLC reported payments to this doctor in 2025. Across the 2025 Open Payments General Payment records loaded for this analysis, that same reporting entity reported PROLATE as an associated drug or biological on 5557 records involving 1112 distinct recipient NPIs. Public Medicare Part D data also shows 95 claims for Prolate by this doctor in 2024.
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC reported payments to this doctor in 2025. Across the 2025 Open Payments General Payment records loaded for this analysis, that same reporting entity reported RELISTOR as an associated drug or biological on 23206 records involving 6246 distinct recipient NPIs. Public Medicare Part D data also shows 16 claims for Relistor by this doctor in 2024.
These records do not establish that a payment influenced prescribing or medical care.
Separate record types
Research & Ownership
Research Payments (direct recipient): not present in the loaded data
Associated Research Funding (for example, named PI): not present in the loaded data
Ownership / Investment: not present in the loaded data
These categories are never added into the General Payments headline. Associated research funding must not be described as money the doctor personally received unless the source record supports that conclusion.
Who paid this doctor?
Companies in 2025 General Payments
| Reported company | Canonical company | Amount | Share | Records | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forte Bio-Pharma LLC | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $258.13 | 52.4% | 31 | 2025 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $173.57 | 35.2% | 17 | 2025 |
| BIOTRONIK NRO, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $22.60 | 4.6% | 1 | 2025 |
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $20.80 | 4.2% | 1 | 2025 |
| Atland Pharmaceuticals, LLC | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $17.89 | 3.6% | 1 | 2025 |
What were the payments for?
Payment categories
| Category | Amount | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Food and Beverage | $492.99 | 51 |
A meal, consulting fee, royalty, and travel payment describe different kinds of reported relationships and should not be interpreted as equivalent.
Analysis 1 · Payment-linked products
Products named in Open Payments records
| Reported product | Type | Reported company | Related amount* | Records | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NALOCET Normalized: nalocet |
Drug | Forte Bio-Pharma LLC | $258.13 | 31 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| PROLATE Normalized: prolate |
Drug | Forte Bio-Pharma LLC | $258.13 | 31 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| TANLOR Normalized: tanlor |
Drug | Forte Bio-Pharma LLC | $258.13 | 31 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| RELISTOR Normalized: relistor |
Drug | Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC | $173.57 | 17 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Prospera Normalized: prospera |
Device | BIOTRONIK NRO, Inc. | $22.60 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| XTAMPZA Normalized: xtampza |
Drug | Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. | $20.80 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| ORPHENADRINE CITRATE, ASPIRIN AND CAFFEINE Normalized: orphenadrine citrate aspirin and caffeine |
Drug | Atland Pharmaceuticals, LLC | $17.89 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| TOLMETIN SODIUM Normalized: tolmetin sodium |
Drug | Atland Pharmaceuticals, LLC | $17.89 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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* Product-associated amounts are non-additive because one payment record may name more than one product.
These products were named on specific Open Payments records. A named product does not show that the payment influenced treatment or prescribing.
Public prescribing for products named in payments
| Open Payments product | Payment year | Part D brand | Part D year | Claims | Match method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PROLATE prolate |
2025 | Prolate | 2024 | 95 | exact normalized | Medicare Part D |
| RELISTOR relistor |
2025 | Relistor | 2024 | 16 Beneficiary count suppressed |
exact normalized | Medicare Part D |
The presence of the same drug in both datasets does not show that a payment caused or influenced a prescription.
Analysis 2 · Same-company prescribing overlap
Drugs reported in other payments from the same company that also appear in Medicare Part D
This analysis is independent from products named on this doctor’s individual payment records. A row appears only when the exact Open Payments reporting entity paid this doctor, that same reporting entity reported the drug or biological on at least 10 loaded General Payment records involving at least 2 distinct recipient NPIs, and this doctor has the same non-generic brand in public Part D data. This does not mean the company owns or manufactures the drug.
| Paying company | Payment year | Drug reported by same entity | Open Payments evidence | Part D | Claims | Beneficiaries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. Exact reporting entity; no affiliate inference |
2025 | BELBUCA open payments reported associated product |
CMS Open Payments — General Payments 17475 supporting records · 4385 recipient NPIs · example record 1224105020 |
Belbuca · 2024 Exact normalized brand match · 1 Part D row |
51 | 17 |
| Forte Bio-Pharma LLC Exact reporting entity; no affiliate inference |
2025 | PROLATE open payments reported associated product |
CMS Open Payments — General Payments 5557 supporting records · 1112 recipient NPIs · example record 1251429153 |
Prolate · 2024 Exact normalized brand match · 1 Part D row |
95 | 17 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC Exact reporting entity; no affiliate inference |
2025 | RELISTOR open payments reported associated product |
CMS Open Payments — General Payments 23206 supporting records · 6246 recipient NPIs · example record 1231775437 |
Relistor · 2024 Exact normalized brand match · 1 Part D row |
16 | suppressed by CMS |
These facts do not show that a payment was for the drug, that the company owns or manufactures the drug, or that a payment caused or influenced prescribing.
Public Medicare Part D data
Provider-and-drug rows loaded for 2024
| Brand | Generic | Claims | Beneficiaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen | Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 3849 | 510 |
| Oxycodone-Acetaminophen | Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 2608 | 331 |
| Gabapentin | Gabapentin | 1271 | 235 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | Tizanidine Hcl | 890 | 211 |
| Morphine Sulfate Er | Morphine Sulfate | 619 | 71 |
| Levetiracetam | Levetiracetam | 564 | 180 |
| Pregabalin | Pregabalin | 320 | 55 |
| Meloxicam | Meloxicam | 312 | 95 |
| Tramadol Hcl | Tramadol Hcl | 266 | 62 |
| Baclofen | Baclofen | 215 | 62 |
| Methocarbamol | Methocarbamol | 210 | 47 |
| Buprenorphine | Buprenorphine | 205 | 68 |
| Diclofenac Sodium | Diclofenac Sodium | 200 | 86 |
| Acetaminophen-Codeine | Acetaminophen With Codeine | 169 | 52 |
| Ibuprofen | Ibuprofen | 159 | 44 |
| Celecoxib | Celecoxib | 140 | 44 |
| Xtampza Er | Oxycodone Myristate | 137 | 27 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | Oxycodone Hcl | 115 | 21 |
| Trazodone Hcl | Trazodone Hcl | 106 | 24 |
| Morphine Sulfate | Morphine Sulfate | 97 | 14 |
| Prolate | Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 95 | 17 |
| Lidocaine | Lidocaine | 79 | 20 |
| Movantik | Naloxegol Oxalate | 72 | 35 |
| Belbuca | Buprenorphine Hcl | 51 | 17 |
| Cyclobenzaprine Hcl | Cyclobenzaprine Hcl | 51 | 14 |
| Linzess | Linaclotide | 43 | suppressed |
| Indomethacin | Indomethacin | 38 | suppressed |
| Oxycontin | Oxycodone Hcl | 35 | suppressed |
| Duloxetine Hcl | Duloxetine Hcl | 27 | suppressed |
| Nucynta Er | Tapentadol Hcl | 24 | suppressed |
| Butalbital-Acetaminophen-Caffe | Butalb/Acetaminophen/Caffeine | 21 | suppressed |
| Eszopiclone | Eszopiclone | 19 | suppressed |
| Tramadol Hcl Er | Tramadol Hcl | 18 | suppressed |
| Relistor | Methylnaltrexone Bromide | 16 | suppressed |
| Savella | Milnacipran Hcl | 16 | suppressed |
| Chlorzoxazone | Chlorzoxazone | 14 | suppressed |
| Asa-Butalb-Caffeine-Codeine | Codeine/Butalbital/Asa/Caffein | 13 | suppressed |
| Zanaflex | Tizanidine Hcl | 13 | suppressed |
| Lyrica | Pregabalin | 12 | suppressed |
| Promethazine Hcl | Promethazine Hcl | 12 | suppressed |
Timeline
Payment and prescribing data by year
Open Payments and Medicare Part D may refer to different years. They are shown separately rather than aligned as if they describe the same period.
| Year | General Payments | Main payer | Explicit products | Company overlaps | Part D coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $492.99 · 51 records | Forte Bio-Pharma LLC | NALOCET, ORPHENADRINE CITRATE, ASPIRIN AND CAFFEINE, PROLATE, Prospera, RELISTOR, TANLOR, TOLMETIN SODIUM, XTAMPZA | 3 | — |
| 2024 | — | — | — | — | Complete |
Questions to ask
Questions you could discuss with your doctor
- What role, if any, does Prolate play in your treatment recommendations for me?
- How do you evaluate evidence when you have a financial relationship with Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.?
- Are there reasonable alternatives I should understand when we discuss treatment options?
- How should I interpret the industry-payment records shown here in the context of my care?
These are general questions generated from reviewed templates. They are not personalized medical advice.
Sources and limitations
How to read this page
- Payment and Medicare prescribing data can cover different years; every comparison shows both years explicitly.
- Part D does not represent a doctor’s entire practice; it excludes many patients and is subject to CMS public-release thresholds.
- Company–drug relationships must have an auditable source, a precise relationship type, and a valid evidence period. Unresolved mappings are not published.
- Generic drug claims are not attributed to a specific manufacturer without manufacturer-level evidence.
- When a source extract is incomplete, missing rows are never treated as proof of no payments or no prescriptions.
Loaded source releases
| Dataset | Year | Publication | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMS Open Payments — General Payments | 2025 | 2026-06-30 | Original source |
| Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug | 2024 | 2026-05-06 | Original source |
| NPPES Data Dissemination V2 | current / reference data | 2026-08-10 | Original source |
Full methodology · Questions & answers · Report a possible error