Katherine Nickels, MD
Epilepsy · Rochester, MNNPI 1679545354
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by consulting fees: $15,894 of the $22,854 with a category attached, or 69.5%. 5 manufacturers reported payments, led by Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. at 53.9% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2022 at $9,430 and has fallen 99.6% since, to $37 in 2025.
Across 31 payments — averaging $737.22 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.$12K
- UCB, Inc.$7K
- Biocodex, Inc.$4K
- Immedica Pharma US, Inc.$105
- Astellas Pharma US Inc$37
Across 91 payments — averaging $786.30 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.
- Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.$35K
- Zogenix Inc.$27K
- Immedica Pharma US, Inc.$8K
- UCB SA$1K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$15,89470%
- Speaking & faculty fees$2,46411%
- Travel & lodging$3,58216%
- Food & beverage$9154%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 16 | $12,315 |
| UCB, Inc. | 10 | $6,536 |
| Biocodex, Inc. | 3 | $3,861 |
| Immedica Pharma US, Inc. | 1 | $105 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 1 | $37 |
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
Too few epilepsy providers in Minnesotato place this figure against a meaningful peer group, so we don't.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rufinamide | 11 | $2,475 |
| Clonazepam | 16 | $114 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other epilepsy in Rochester
- Elaine WirrellRochester$160K
- Gregory WorrellRochester$11K
- Brian LundstromRochester$9K
- Kelsey SmithRochester$3K
- Christopher SanfilippoRochester$1K
- David BurkholderRochester$714
- Nicholas GreggRochester$312
- Anthony FineRochester$231
- Gregory CascinoRochester$203
- Hicham DabajaRochester$195
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.