Andrew Kao, MD
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology · Kansas City, MONPI 1730147224
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — speaking fees (55.9%), food and beverage and travel and lodging — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. ZOLL Respicardia, Inc. accounts for 65.2% of it on its own, with 9 other manufacturers making up the rest.
Across 37 payments — averaging $241.56 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- ZOLL Respicardia, Inc.$6K
- Bayer$2K
- Abbott$760
- Paragonix Technologies, Inc.$161
- Bioventrix, Inc.$152
- Abiomed$143
- plus $268 from 4 others
Across 31 payments — averaging $6999.80 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- ZOLL Respicardia, Inc.$134K
- ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp)$32K
- Amgen$26K
- Novartis$24K
What the payments were for
- Speaking & faculty fees$5,00056%
- Travel & lodging$1,59818%
- Food & beverage$1,96622%
- Education$3744%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| ZOLL Respicardia, Inc. | 6 | $5,828 |
| Bayer | 13 | $1,626 |
| Abbott | 10 | $760 |
| Paragonix Technologies, Inc. | 1 | $161 |
| Bioventrix, Inc. | 2 | $152 |
| Abiomed | 1 | $143 |
| Biocardia, Inc. | 1 | $105 |
| Gilead | 1 | $97 |
| Merck | 1 | $46 |
| CSL Behring | 1 | $20 |
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.
- remede System$5,746
- CARDIOMEMS$354
- THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT$189
- SherpaPak$161
- LIVERguard$161
- LUNGguard$161
- BaroGuard$161
- PancreasPak$161
- Impella$143
How this compares
$8,938 in reported general payments places this provider in the 55th percentile of 26 advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Missouri.
See all advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Missouri →
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 |
|---|---|---|
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 372 | $501,454 |
| EliquisApixaban | 376 | $397,711 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 267 | $267,481 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 172 | $200,589 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 59 | $78,758 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 62 | $68,165 |
| CorlanorIvabradine Hcl | 68 | $61,571 |
| Sirolimus | 62 | $25,711 |
| Praluent PenAlirocumab | 28 | $25,218 |
| Tacrolimus | 177 | $20,144 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 20 | $19,008 |
| Dofetilide | 69 | $17,263 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 31 | $16,766 |
| Eplerenone | 133 | $11,173 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 607 | $8,941 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MerckJanuvia | $46 | $8,01213 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 55th percentile of 26 advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Missouri.
Other advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology in Kansas City
- Brett SperryKansas City$314K
- Michael NassifKansas City$32K
- Taiyeb KhumriKansas City$2K
- Bethany AustinKansas City$1K
- Stephanie LawhornKansas City$238
- Mark EverleyKansas City$119
- Andrew SauerLees Summit$411K
- Gerard OghlakianSpringfield$365K
- Shane LarueHannibal$41K
- Gregory EwaldSaint Louis$35K
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.