Keith Forwith, MD
Otolaryngology · Louisville, KYNPI 1467458083
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by speaking fees: $7,130 of the $11,280 with a category attached, or 63.2%. Shire North American Group Inc accounts for 65.1% of it on its own, with 26 other manufacturers making up the rest. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $7,899 and has fallen 92.7% since, to $580 in 2025. Among otolaryngology clinicians in KY 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 93 payments — averaging $121.29 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Shire North American Group Inc$7K
- Smith+Nephew$442
- Medtronic$439
- Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.$391
- Optinose US, Inc.$347
- Intersect ENT, Inc.$343
- plus $2K from 21 others
Across 33 payments — averaging $4415.10 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.
- Sanofi US Services Inc.$82K
- Sanofi$58K
- Roche Products Limited$5K
- Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC$1K
What the payments were for
- Speaking & faculty fees$7,13063%
- Travel & lodging$891%
- Food & beverage$4,00736%
- Education$540%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Shire North American Group Inc | 8 | $7,342 |
| Smith+Nephew | 6 | $442 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 5 | $439 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 13 | $391 |
| Optinose US, Inc. | 6 | $347 |
| Intersect ENT, Inc. | 5 | $343 |
| Stryker | 8 | $307 |
| Sanofi | 5 | $294 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 2 | $269 |
| Hologic Sales And Service, LLC | 2 | $160 |
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 2 | $149 |
| Preceptis Medical, Inc. | 1 | $144 |
| IBSA Pharma Inc. | 8 | $118 |
| Lucid Diagnostics Inc. | 1 | $92 |
| Kaleo, Inc. | 5 | $73 |
| GSK | 4 | $67 |
| Covidien LP | 1 | $57 |
| Resmed Corp | 1 | $54 |
| Checkpoint Surgical, Inc | 1 | $32 |
| AstraZeneca | 2 | $29 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $28 |
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC | 1 | $22 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 1 | $21 |
| AbbVie | 1 | $18 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. | 1 | $16 |
| Acclarent, Inc | 1 | $15 |
| Alk-abello, Inc | 1 | $11 |
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.
- NATPARA (PARATHYROID HORMONE)$7,130
- DUPIXENT$481
- PROPEL$449
- TISSEEL$269
- Halo$187
- Coblation$187
- CoolSeal Generator$144
- Hummingbird Tympanostomy Tube System$144
- Inspire$141
- XPRESS ENT DILATION SYSTEM$135
- TULA$135
- Xhance$125
- PTeye$114
- FUSION$114
How this compares
$11,280 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 137 otolaryngology providers in Kentucky.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| SynthroidLevothyroxine Sodium | 51 | $3,480 |
| Azelastine Hcl | 86 | $2,889 |
| Ofloxacin | 37 | $1,550 |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | 106 | $1,308 |
| Fluticasone Propionate | 97 | $1,223 |
| Ondansetron Hcl | 26 | $448 |
| Esomeprazole Magnesium | 11 | $389 |
| Liothyronine Sodium | 13 | $386 |
| Omeprazole | 53 | $375 |
| Montelukast Sodium | 30 | $304 |
| Mupirocin | 37 | $253 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 32 | $164 |
| Methimazole | 12 | $156 |
| Amoxicillin-Clavulanate PotassAmoxicillin/Potassium Clav | 14 | $140 |
| Methylprednisolone | 18 | $83 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVieSynthroid | $18 | $3,48051 claims |
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLCLevothyroxine Sodium | $22 | $1,308106 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 137 otolaryngology providers in Kentucky.
Other otolaryngology in Louisville
- Thomas HigginsLouisville$357K
- Andrew GouldLouisville$13K
- Steven ShottsLouisville$12K
- Skylar TrottLouisville$11K
- Ziad KatribLouisville$7K
- Amy IngramLouisville$7K
- Kevin PottsLouisville$7K
- Gregory AbbasLouisville$6K
- Travis ShuttLouisville$6K
- Matthew YantisLouisville$5K
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.