John Casterline, MD
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) · Birmingham, ALNPI 1245279751
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by food and beverage: $1,831 of the $2,437 with a category attached, or 75.1%. 21 manufacturers reported payments, led by W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. at 32.3% of the total. That places this record below the midpoint for thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) clinicians in AL, where the typical reported total is $5,387.
Across 46 payments — averaging $52.98 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.$788
- Endologix LLC$456
- Johnson & Johnson$244
- Baxter Healthcare$222
- Silk Road Medical, Inc.$140
- Abbott$132
- plus $455 from 15 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$60625%
- Food & beverage$1,83175%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. | 11 | $788 |
| Endologix LLC | 4 | $456 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 9 | $244 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 2 | $222 |
| Silk Road Medical, Inc. | 1 | $140 |
| Abbott | 3 | $132 |
| Intuitive Surgical | 1 | $94 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 2 | $80 |
| Kerecis Limited | 1 | $43 |
| Angiodynamics, Inc. | 1 | $35 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $25 |
| Bolton Medical Inc | 1 | $24 |
| Solventum Corporation | 1 | $23 |
| Artivion, Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| Livanova USA, Inc. | 1 | $20 |
| Sanara Medtech Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Cook Medical LLC | 1 | $16 |
| Atricure, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Merit Medical Systems Inc | 1 | $15 |
| Pulmonx Corporation | 1 | $14 |
| Argon Medical Devices, Inc. | 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
$2,437 in reported general payments places this provider in the 30th percentile of 68 thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in Alabama.
See all thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in Alabama →
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 |
|---|---|---|
| ClopidogrelClopidogrel Bisulfate | 24 | $167 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 44 | $163 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 11 | $115 |
| Potassium Chloride | 18 | $79 |
| Furosemide | 16 | $21 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) in Birmingham
- Kyle EudaileyBirmingham$184K
- Carlton RandlemanBirmingham$161K
- James DaviesBirmingham$99K
- Andrew PapoyBirmingham$63K
- Sara PereiraBirmingham$62K
- Panayotis VardasBirmingham$49K
- Clifton LewisBirmingham$47K
- Benjamin WeiBirmingham$18K
- Douglas MinnichBirmingham$10K
- John ThurberBirmingham$7K
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.