Payment overview · 2025
General Payments
$788.91
14 reported records · 5 companies
Healthcare provider profile · identity verified
Stephen Paul Thomas, NP
Physician Assistants & Advanced Practice Nursing Providers|Nurse Practitioner|Gerontology · TEMECULA, CA · NPI 1326584095
Verified facts
What the public records show
CMS Open Payments records show Stephen Paul Thomas, NP received $788.91 in general payments during 2025 across 14 reported records.
Vifor Pharma, Inc. accounted for 42.6% of that reported general-payment amount.
The Open Payments records used for this analysis explicitly named 4 associated products.
A separate comparison found the same explicitly named product in public Medicare Part D data: Velphoro, Veltassa.
AKEBIA THERAPEUTICS 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 Auryxia as an associated drug or biological on 494 records involving 327 distinct recipient NPIs. Public Medicare Part D data also shows 20 claims for Auryxia by this doctor in 2024.
Fresenius USA Marketing, 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 VELPHORO as an associated drug or biological on 8763 records involving 2642 distinct recipient NPIs. Public Medicare Part D data also shows 30 claims for Velphoro by this doctor in 2024.
Vifor Pharma, 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 Veltassa as an associated drug or biological on 5970 records involving 2480 distinct recipient NPIs. Public Medicare Part D data also shows 49 claims for Veltassa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $336.15 | 42.6% | 5 | 2025 |
| AKEBIA THERAPEUTICS INC | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $174.52 | 22.1% | 3 | 2025 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $169.77 | 21.5% | 3 | 2025 |
| AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $73.83 | 9.4% | 1 | 2025 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $34.64 | 4.4% | 2 | 2025 |
What were the payments for?
Payment categories
| Category | Amount | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Food and Beverage | $788.91 | 14 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veltassa Normalized: veltassa |
Drug | Vifor Pharma, Inc. | $336.15 | 5 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Vafseo Normalized: vafseo |
Drug | AKEBIA THERAPEUTICS INC | $174.52 | 3 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| IBSRELA Normalized: ibsrela |
Drug | Ardelyx, Inc. | $169.77 | 3 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| VELPHORO Normalized: velphoro |
Drug | Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | $34.64 | 2 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VELPHORO velphoro |
2025 | Velphoro | 2024 | 30 Beneficiary count suppressed |
exact normalized | Medicare Part D |
| Veltassa veltassa |
2025 | Veltassa | 2024 | 49 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AKEBIA THERAPEUTICS INC Exact reporting entity; no affiliate inference |
2025 | Auryxia open payments reported associated product |
CMS Open Payments — General Payments 494 supporting records · 327 recipient NPIs · example record 1241812131 |
Auryxia · 2024 Exact normalized brand match · 1 Part D row |
20 | suppressed by CMS |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. Exact reporting entity; no affiliate inference |
2025 | VELPHORO open payments reported associated product |
CMS Open Payments — General Payments 8763 supporting records · 2642 recipient NPIs · example record 1244803773 |
Velphoro · 2024 Exact normalized brand match · 1 Part D row |
30 | suppressed by CMS |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. Exact reporting entity; no affiliate inference |
2025 | Veltassa open payments reported associated product |
CMS Open Payments — General Payments 5970 supporting records · 2480 recipient NPIs · example record 1172020739 |
Veltassa · 2024 Exact normalized brand match · 1 Part D row |
49 | 18 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prosol | Parenteral Amino Acid 20% No.1 | 153 | suppressed |
| Clinolipid | Fat Emulsion/Olive/Soy/Phospho | 127 | suppressed |
| Sevelamer Carbonate | Sevelamer Carbonate | 115 | 46 |
| Calcium Acetate | Calcium Acetate | 97 | 47 |
| Clinisol | Parenteral Amino Acid 15% No.5 | 67 | suppressed |
| Veltassa | Patiromer Calcium Sorbitex | 49 | 18 |
| Nifedipine Er | Nifedipine | 42 | 18 |
| Furosemide | Furosemide | 41 | 23 |
| Megestrol Acetate | Megestrol Acetate | 40 | 14 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | Amlodipine Besylate | 39 | 21 |
| Lactulose | Lactulose | 37 | 13 |
| Pantoprazole Sodium | Pantoprazole Sodium | 34 | suppressed |
| Carvedilol | Carvedilol | 32 | 17 |
| Hydralazine Hcl | Hydralazine Hcl | 31 | 14 |
| Midodrine Hcl | Midodrine Hcl | 30 | 16 |
| Velphoro | Sucroferric Oxyhydroxide | 30 | suppressed |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | Atorvastatin Calcium | 28 | 13 |
| Gabapentin | Gabapentin | 26 | 14 |
| Lanthanum Carbonate | Lanthanum Carbonate | 25 | suppressed |
| Lidocaine-Prilocaine | Lidocaine/Prilocaine | 25 | 13 |
| Losartan Potassium | Losartan Potassium | 25 | 15 |
| Metoprolol Tartrate | Metoprolol Tartrate | 25 | 12 |
| Xphozah | Tenapanor Hcl | 25 | suppressed |
| Clonidine Hcl | Clonidine Hcl | 21 | suppressed |
| Lisinopril | Lisinopril | 21 | suppressed |
| Auryxia | Ferric Citrate | 20 | suppressed |
| Clopidogrel | Clopidogrel Bisulfate | 20 | suppressed |
| Eliquis | Apixaban | 20 | suppressed |
| Tamsulosin Hcl | Tamsulosin Hcl | 18 | suppressed |
| Azithromycin | Azithromycin | 17 | 16 |
| Lantus | Insulin Glargine,hum.Rec.Anlog | 17 | suppressed |
| Minoxidil | Minoxidil | 17 | suppressed |
| Omeprazole | Omeprazole | 17 | suppressed |
| Ondansetron Odt | Ondansetron | 17 | suppressed |
| Simvastatin | Simvastatin | 17 | suppressed |
| Ropinirole Hcl | Ropinirole Hcl | 15 | suppressed |
| Hydroxyzine Hcl | Hydroxyzine Hcl | 14 | suppressed |
| Ozempic | Semaglutide | 14 | suppressed |
| Glipizide | Glipizide | 13 | suppressed |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | Levothyroxine Sodium | 13 | suppressed |
| Trazodone Hcl | Trazodone 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 | $788.91 · 14 records | Vifor Pharma, Inc. | IBSRELA, VELPHORO, Vafseo, Veltassa | 3 | — |
| 2024 | — | — | — | — | Complete |
Questions to ask
Questions you could discuss with your doctor
- What role, if any, does Velphoro play in your treatment recommendations for me?
- How do you evaluate evidence when you have a financial relationship with AKEBIA THERAPEUTICS 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