Payment overview · 2025
General Payments
$1,831.46
49 reported records · 10 companies
Healthcare provider profile · identity verified
Stephen N. Tafor, MD
Allopathic & Osteopathic Physicians|Pain Medicine|Interventional Pain Medicine · MACON, GA · NPI 1700844321
Verified facts
What the public records show
CMS Open Payments records show Stephen N. Tafor, MD received $1,831.46 in general payments during 2025 across 49 reported records.
SurGenTec accounted for 33.3% of that reported general-payment amount.
The Open Payments records used for this analysis explicitly named 21 associated products.
A separate comparison found the same explicitly named product in public Medicare Part D data: Belbuca.
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 67 claims for Belbuca 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurGenTec | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $610.33 | 33.3% | 1 | 2025 |
| Boston Scientific Corporation | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $538.23 | 29.4% | 21 | 2025 |
| Medtronic, Inc. |
Medtronic, Inc. exact · evidence 2025-07-22 |
$228.86 | 12.5% | 11 | 2025 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $95.48 | 5.2% | 4 | 2025 |
| SPR Therapeutics, Inc | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $87.04 | 4.8% | 1 | 2025 |
| Curonix LLC | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $79.03 | 4.3% | 1 | 2025 |
| Abbott Laboratories | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $77.30 | 4.2% | 4 | 2025 |
| Globus Medical, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $54.48 | 3.0% | 3 | 2025 |
| Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $39.73 | 2.2% | 2 | 2025 |
| Forte Bio-Pharma LLC | Unresolved — no canonical attribution shown | $20.98 | 1.1% | 1 | 2025 |
What were the payments for?
Payment categories
| Category | Amount | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Food and Beverage | $1,221.13 | 48 |
| Travel and Lodging | $610.33 | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TiLink, ION Normalized: tilink ion |
Device | SurGenTec | $610.33 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| General - Pain Management Normalized: general pain management |
Device | Boston Scientific Corporation | $258.93 | 4 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 Normalized: wavewriter alpha prime 16 |
Device | Boston Scientific Corporation | $201.72 | 8 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| KYPHON EXPRESS II KYPHOPAK TRAY Normalized: kyphon express ii kyphopak tray |
Device | Medtronic, Inc. | $120.39 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| RELISTOR Normalized: relistor |
Drug | Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC | $95.48 | 4 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| SPRINT PNS System Normalized: sprint pns system |
Device | SPR Therapeutics, Inc | $87.04 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| PNS FREEDOM-4A PERMANENT NEUROSTIMULATOR RECEIVER KIT CHANNEL A Normalized: pns freedom 4a permanent neurostimulator receiver kit channel a |
Device | Curonix LLC | $79.03 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| INCEPTIV Normalized: inceptiv |
Device | Medtronic, Inc. | $76.31 | 6 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Senza Normalized: senza |
Device | Globus Medical, Inc. | $54.48 | 3 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Superion Indirect Decompression System Normalized: superion indirect decompression system |
Device | Boston Scientific Corporation | $50.33 | 4 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| PROCLAIM Normalized: proclaim |
Device | Abbott Laboratories | $39.92 | 2 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Belbuca Normalized: belbuca |
Drug | Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. | $39.73 | 2 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| ETERNA Normalized: eterna |
Device | Abbott Laboratories | $37.38 | 2 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| SYNCHROMEDII Normalized: synchromedii |
Device | Medtronic, Inc. | $27.84 | 3 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| NALOCET Normalized: nalocet |
Drug | Forte Bio-Pharma LLC | $20.98 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| PROLATE Normalized: prolate |
Drug | Forte Bio-Pharma LLC | $20.98 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| TANLOR Normalized: tanlor |
Drug | Forte Bio-Pharma LLC | $20.98 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Intracept Normalized: intracept |
Device | Boston Scientific Corporation | $10.76 | 1 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| Patient Trial Kit Normalized: patient trial kit |
Device | Boston Scientific Corporation | $8.44 | 2 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| General - Therapies Normalized: general therapies |
Device | Boston Scientific Corporation | $8.05 | 2 | 2025 |
Source payment records
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| INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM Normalized: intellis adaptivestim |
Device | Medtronic, Inc. | $4.32 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belbuca belbuca |
2025 | Belbuca | 2024 | 67 | 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 |
67 | 43 |
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 | 2370 | 429 |
| Oxycodone-Acetaminophen | Oxycodone Hcl/Acetaminophen | 639 | 115 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | Oxycodone Hcl | 323 | 53 |
| Morphine Sulfate Er | Morphine Sulfate | 151 | 28 |
| Gabapentin | Gabapentin | 121 | 76 |
| Belbuca | Buprenorphine Hcl | 67 | 43 |
| Tramadol Hcl | Tramadol Hcl | 63 | 33 |
| Buprenorphine | Buprenorphine | 62 | 40 |
| Pregabalin | Pregabalin | 53 | 36 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | Tizanidine Hcl | 44 | 33 |
| Fentanyl | Fentanyl | 43 | suppressed |
| Methadone Hcl | Methadone Hcl | 41 | suppressed |
| Morphine Sulfate | Morphine Sulfate | 37 | suppressed |
| Nabumetone | Nabumetone | 32 | 25 |
| Meloxicam | Meloxicam | 30 | 11 |
| Nucynta Er | Tapentadol Hcl | 26 | suppressed |
| Oxycontin | Oxycodone Hcl | 26 | suppressed |
| Baclofen | Baclofen | 25 | suppressed |
| Cephalexin | Cephalexin | 23 | 23 |
| Cyclobenzaprine Hcl | Cyclobenzaprine Hcl | 22 | 17 |
| Ztlido | Lidocaine | 16 | suppressed |
| Lidocaine | Lidocaine | 15 | 12 |
| Tramadol Hcl Er | Tramadol Hcl | 13 | suppressed |
| Ondansetron Hcl | Ondansetron Hcl | 12 | suppressed |
| Duloxetine Hcl | Duloxetine Hcl | 11 | 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 | $1,831.46 · 49 records | SurGenTec | Belbuca, ETERNA, General - Pain Management, General - Therapies, INCEPTIV, INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM, Intracept, KYPHON EXPRESS II KYPHOPAK TRAY, NALOCET, PNS FREEDOM-4A PERMANENT NEUROSTIMULATOR RECEIVER KIT CHANNEL A, PROCLAIM, PROLATE, Patient Trial Kit, RELISTOR, SPRINT PNS System, SYNCHROMEDII, Senza, Superion Indirect Decompression System, TANLOR, TiLink, ION, WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 | 1 | — |
| 2024 | — | — | — | — | Complete |
Questions to ask
Questions you could discuss with your doctor
- What role, if any, does Belbuca 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