Brian Kurcz
Orthopaedic Surgery · Manitowoc, WINPI 1750801692
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — grants (48.0%), travel and lodging and food and beverage — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 13 manufacturers reported payments, led by Arthrex at 53.9% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2023 at $27,115 and has fallen 87.2% since, to $3,476 in 2025. Among orthopaedic surgery clinicians in WI with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 142 payments — averaging $293.56 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Arthrex$22K
- Zimmer Biomet$9K
- Encore Medical, LP$3K
- Smith+Nephew$3K
- Wardlow Enterprises$2K
- True North Surgical Inc$860
- plus $1K from 7 others
What the payments were for
- Speaking & faculty fees$1,5004%
- Grants$20,00048%
- Travel & lodging$10,65926%
- Food & beverage$5,47813%
- Education$4,04910%
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 | 30 | $22,468 |
| Zimmer Biomet | 50 | $9,001 |
| Encore Medical, LP | 9 | $3,293 |
| Smith+Nephew | 14 | $2,755 |
| Wardlow Enterprises | 2 | $1,835 |
| True North Surgical Inc | 7 | $860 |
| Stryker | 11 | $661 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 14 | $648 |
| Organogenesis Inc. | 1 | $61 |
| RTI Surgical, Inc | 1 | $45 |
| Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | 1 | $26 |
| Vericel Corporation | 1 | $17 |
| Pacira Therapeutics, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
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.
- DJO SURGICAL$6,211
- Persona$2,695
- Arcos$1,707
- Avenir$1,464
- Comprehensive Anatomic$623
- BLUEPRINT PATIENT SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTATION$157
- OR3O Dual Mobility$155
- RI.HIP NAVIGATION$155
- AEQUALIS PERFORM REVERSED$153
- ROSA$144
- Bone Anchors with Arthroscopic Delivery System$133
- Kincise Surgical Automated System$125
- G7$125
- Knees Product Portfolio$118
- Hips-None$118
How this compares
$41,686 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 498 orthopaedic surgery providers in Wisconsin.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Meloxicam | 169 | $560 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 40 | $361 |
| Celecoxib | 21 | $305 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 35 | $159 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other orthopaedic surgery in Manitowoc
- Robert ChurchillGrafton$7.7M
- Richard IllgenMadison$6.1M
- Jeffrey McLaughlinOshkosh$2M
- Clifford TribusMadison$1.4M
- Thomas ZdeblickMadison$1.1M
- Justin MitchellOnalaska$666K
- Christopher BibboStevens Point$615K
- Robert LimoniAppleton$514K
- Paul AndersonVerona$456K
- Shawn HenniganAppleton$455K
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.