Chukwumere Nwogu, MD
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) · Buffalo, NYNPI 1164403770
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 5 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 3 manufacturers reported payments, led by Medtronic at 43.1% of the total. That places this record below the midpoint for thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) clinicians in NY, where the typical reported total is $3,409.
Across 5 payments — averaging $75.26 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Medtronic$162
- Johnson & Johnson$122
- Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.$92
Across 16 payments — averaging $60,518 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.
- Roche Diagnostics Corporation$968K
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$376100%
Most of this is food and beverage — typically meals provided during product presentations at a clinic or hospital. Nationally that is the single largest category of reported payments by count.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Medtronic | 1 | $162 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 3 | $122 |
| Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. | 1 | $92 |
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.
- Signia$162
How this compares
$376 in reported general payments places this provider in the 20th percentile of 383 thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in New York.
See all thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in New York →
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.
Other thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) in Buffalo
- Aubrey GallowayNew York$5.7M
- Gilbert TangNew York$842K
- Michael ZervosNew York$811K
- Israel JacobowitzBrooklyn$529K
- Elias ZiasNew York$465K
- Arthur MartellaRochester$431K
- Isaac GeorgeNew York$395K
- Eugene GrossiNew York$350K
- John GoncalvesMineola$332K
- Costas BizekisNew York$321K
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.