Aaron Althaus, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery · Kansas City, KSNPI 1518195619
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — education (42.6%), food and beverage and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 8 manufacturers reported payments, led by Arthrex at 43.4% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $6,365 and has fallen 98.4% since, to $99 in 2024.
Across 53 payments — averaging $145.47 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Arthrex$3K
- Stryker$1K
- RSW Medical Company, Inc.$1K
- Zimmer Biomet$520
- Johnson & Johnson$407
- Conetic Solutions, Inc.$273
- plus $245 from 2 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$1,94325%
- Food & beverage$2,48132%
- Education$3,28643%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Arthrex | 7 | $3,345 |
| Stryker | 16 | $1,479 |
| RSW Medical Company, Inc. | 9 | $1,442 |
| Zimmer Biomet | 6 | $520 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 6 | $407 |
| Conetic Solutions, Inc. | 4 | $273 |
| Medical Device Business Services, Inc. | 4 | $193 |
| Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | 1 | $51 |
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.
- MAKO$813
- ROSA-Knee$323
- ATTUNE$223
- ACCOLADE$142
- Kincise Surgical Automated System$114
How this compares
$7,710 in reported general payments places this provider in the 65th percentile of 197 orthopaedic surgery providers in Kansas.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cephalexin | 114 | $1,146 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 60 | $393 |
| Celecoxib | 32 | $282 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 23 | $188 |
| Gabapentin | 15 | $170 |
| Omeprazole | 28 | $121 |
| Amoxicillin | 121 | $90 |
| Methylprednisolone | 20 | $67 |
| Meloxicam | 22 | $65 |
| Clindamycin Hcl | 31 | $57 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 26 | $51 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other orthopaedic surgery in Kansas City
- David AndersonKansas City$490K
- Brandon CarlsonKansas City$299K
- Brent WiseKansas City$97K
- John SchroeppelKansas City$28K
- Mitchell BirtKansas City$26K
- Spencer FalconKansas City$23K
- Bryan VopatKansas City$22K
- Katie SmeltzerKansas City$19K
- Everett WilkinsonKansas City$12K
- Jacob BrubacherKansas City$11K
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.