Christopher Gisler, MD
Nephrology · Pittsburgh, PANPI 1588845796
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by speaking fees: $599,706 of the $757,132 with a category attached, or 79.2%. 24 manufacturers reported payments, led by Amgen at 47.4% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2023 at $300,408 and has fallen 90.2% since, to $29,539 in 2024. Among nephrology clinicians in PA with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 1,353 payments — averaging $559.59 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Amgen$359K
- Vifor Pharma, Inc.$146K
- Bayer$83K
- Akebia Therapeutics Inc$60K
- Travere Therapeutics, Inc.$51K
- Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc.$35K
- plus $23K from 18 others
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$21,7743%
- Speaking & faculty fees$599,70679%
- Travel & lodging$110,09015%
- Food & beverage$25,2483%
- Education$3140%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amgen(2 entities) | 499 | $358,622 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 305 | $145,931 |
| Bayer | 117 | $83,338 |
| Akebia Therapeutics Inc | 121 | $60,209 |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 106 | $50,848 |
| Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc. | 50 | $35,062 |
| Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. | 44 | $18,596 |
| Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc. | 5 | $1,405 |
| Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. | 1 | $1,188 |
| AstraZeneca(2 entities) | 34 | $656 |
| OPKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 19 | $287 |
| C. R. Bard, Inc. & Subsidiaries | 1 | $197 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 13 | $188 |
| Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC | 20 | $173 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | 1 | $107 |
| Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc. | 6 | $95 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 2 | $52 |
| Novartis | 2 | $48 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 2 | $39 |
| Covidien LP | 1 | $26 |
| Sanofi | 1 | $19 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $17 |
| Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. | 1 | $17 |
| Boston Scientific | 1 | $13 |
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.
How this compares
$757,132 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 586 nephrology providers in Pennsylvania.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| KrystexxaPegloticase | 63 | $3,422,850 |
| CortrophinCorticotropin | 36 | $514,183 |
| VeltassaPatiromer Calcium Sorbitex | 49 | $63,903 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 55 | $52,451 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 48 | $44,815 |
| KerendiaFinerenone | 34 | $32,684 |
| Bumetanide | 119 | $4,505 |
| Mycophenolate Mofetil | 13 | $3,676 |
| Allopurinol | 132 | $2,209 |
| Valsartan | 71 | $2,061 |
| Potassium Citrate ErPotassium Citrate | 12 | $1,565 |
| Tamsulosin Hcl | 60 | $1,422 |
| Nifedipine ErNifedipine | 42 | $1,339 |
| Colchicine | 12 | $1,178 |
| Losartan Potassium | 124 | $1,101 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AmgenKrystexxa | $358,622 | $3,422,85063 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $656 | $52,45155 claims |
| BayerKerendia | $83,338 | $32,68434 claims |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Valsartan | $188 | $2,06171 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 95th percentile of 586 nephrology providers in Pennsylvania.
Other nephrology in Pittsburgh
- Khaled NasharPittsburgh$198K
- Swati AroraPittsburgh$190K
- Linda FriedPittsburgh$35K
- Cary ShiwarskiPittsburgh$15K
- Fadi LakkisPittsburgh$7K
- Nelson KopytAllentown$949K
- Rakesh GulatiPhiladelphia$657K
- Raymond TownsendPhiladelphia$357K
- Prince AnandDanville$331K
- Ellie KelepourisPhiladelphia$287K
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.