Kari Westenkirchner
Family · Sioux Falls, SDNPI 1811598527
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 185 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 23 manufacturers reported payments, led by Abbott at 37.4% of the total. 2025 is the largest year on record at $1,254, 3.8 times the $329 reported in 2021. Among family clinicians in SD 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 185 payments — averaging $21.64 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Abbott$1K
- E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.$468
- Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.$436
- Cvrx, Inc.$406
- AstraZeneca$164
- Novartis$156
- plus $878 from 17 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$4,004100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Abbott | 46 | $1,496 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 43 | $468 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | 11 | $436 |
| Cvrx, Inc. | 7 | $406 |
| AstraZeneca | 12 | $164 |
| Novartis | 9 | $156 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 17 | $128 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 10 | $112 |
| Amgen | 5 | $104 |
| Merck | 3 | $61 |
| Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, PLC | 2 | $60 |
| Philips North America LLC | 2 | $60 |
| United Therapeutics Corporation | 3 | $59 |
| Pfizer | 3 | $55 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $52 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $45 |
| Abiomed | 1 | $32 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 2 | $26 |
| Bayer | 1 | $20 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 1 | $18 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $17 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 1 | $14 |
| Bridgebio Pharma, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
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.
- CARDIOMEMS$598
- Barostim Neo System$326
- UPTRAVI$300
- OPSUMIT$300
- THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT$134
How this compares
$4,004 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 588 family providers in South Dakota.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| VyndamaxTafamidis | 23 | $596,169 |
| UptraviSelexipag | 25 | $591,429 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 513 | $509,956 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 221 | $213,769 |
| OpsumitMacitentan | 15 | $189,162 |
| EliquisApixaban | 135 | $134,038 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 116 | $112,762 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 38 | $36,456 |
| Sildenafil Citrate | 29 | $18,616 |
| Potassium Chloride | 370 | $12,419 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 612 | $11,723 |
| Torsemide | 325 | $11,229 |
| Digoxin | 153 | $3,556 |
| Spironolactone | 653 | $3,414 |
| Isosorbide Dinitrate | 42 | $3,109 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.Uptravi, Opsumit | $436 | $780,59240 claims |
| PfizerVyndamax, Eliquis | $55 | $730,207158 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $156 | $509,956513 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $164 | $213,769221 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $18 | $112,762116 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $26 | $36,45638 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 588 family providers in South Dakota.
Other family in Sioux Falls
- Brittany WangsnessSioux Falls$79K
- Stephanie PreisterSioux Falls$12K
- Michelle VanhoveSioux Falls$7K
- Heidi FurthSioux Falls$6K
- Tabitha AmmannSioux Falls$6K
- Megan MoedingSioux Falls$5K
- Brooke MunkSioux Falls$4K
- Rebekka KlemmeSioux Falls$4K
- Jordyn HoferSioux Falls$3K
- Jennifer RedmondSioux Falls$3K
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.