George Kichura, MD
Interventional Cardiology · Saint Louis, MONPI 1114903507
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — speaking fees (37.9%), other and food and beverage — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 57 manufacturers reported payments, led by Amgen at 37.7% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $28,411 and has fallen 74.8% since, to $7,172 in 2025. Among interventional cardiology clinicians in MO 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 843 payments — averaging $140.24 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Amgen$45K
- Angiodynamics, Inc.$37K
- Novartis$10K
- Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.$5K
- Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC$4K
- Abbott$3K
- plus $15K from 51 others
Across 37 payments — averaging $18,727 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.
- Amgen$422K
- Novartis$193K
- AstraZeneca$65K
- E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.$14K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$7,4906%
- Speaking & faculty fees$44,83438%
- Travel & lodging$11,2149%
- Food & beverage$17,41715%
- Education$17,01714%
- Other$20,25017%
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.
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.
- Repatha$42,264
- Auryon Laser System 100-120 Vac$30,390
- LEQVIO$8,141
- PRALUENT$7,830
- Auryon$6,806
- Indigo$4,332
- Omnilink Elite vascular stent system$1,845
- Resolute$1,524
- Impella$1,187
- ZYPITAMAG (pitavastatin)$600
- OPTIMIZER$356
- VERQUVO$222
- Penumbra System$205
- Penumbra Ruby Coil$149
- Vascepa$128
- GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION$125
- Orsiro Mission$121
- PRO-Kinetic Energy$121
- Passeo-18$121
- PK Papyrus$121
How this compares
$118,222 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 182 interventional 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 |
|---|---|---|
| EliquisApixaban | 239 | $270,861 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 63 | $85,054 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 55 | $77,231 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 34 | $44,498 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 44 | $38,894 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 23 | $26,222 |
| WegovySemaglutide | 14 | $18,571 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 14 | $17,991 |
| Praluent PenAlirocumab | 17 | $15,249 |
| MounjaroTirzepatide | 11 | $11,811 |
| VascepaIcosapent Ethyl | 21 | $10,685 |
| KerendiaFinerenone | 12 | $7,779 |
| Ezetimibe | 310 | $5,280 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 437 | $3,402 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 253 | $3,049 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PfizerEliquis | $844 | $270,861239 claims |
| Novo NordiskOzempic, Wegovy | $165 | $103,62577 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $10,362 | $77,23155 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $634 | $44,49834 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $449 | $26,22223 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $896 | $17,99114 claims |
| Lilly USA, LLCMounjaro | $64 | $11,81111 claims |
| BayerKerendia | $131 | $7,77912 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 90th percentile of 182 interventional cardiology providers in Missouri.
Other interventional cardiology in Saint Louis
- John LasalaSaint Louis$936K
- Harvey SerotaSaint Louis$752K
- Jasvindar SinghSaint Louis$696K
- Alan ZajariasSaint Louis$203K
- Anish ThomasSaint Louis$171K
- Gus TheodosSaint Louis$165K
- Prashanth ThakkerSaint Louis$129K
- Marc SintekSaint Louis$119K
- Gil VardiSaint Louis$106K
- Anthony SonnSaint Louis$80K
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.