Kenneth Richards, MD
Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery) · Greeley, CONPI 1083689376
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 43 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. It is spread thinly across 17 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 17.4% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $739 and has fallen 81.7% since, to $135 in 2025. That places this record below the midpoint for thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) clinicians in CO, where the typical reported total is $8,306.
Across 43 payments — averaging $30.83 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Edwards Lifesciences$231
- W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.$202
- Medtronic$185
- Boston Scientific$159
- Livanova USA, Inc.$107
- Abiomed$93
- plus $349 from 11 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$1,326100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Edwards Lifesciences | 8 | $231 |
| W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. | 7 | $202 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 5 | $185 |
| Boston Scientific | 3 | $159 |
| Livanova USA, Inc. | 2 | $107 |
| Abiomed | 1 | $93 |
| Smith+Nephew | 3 | $71 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 3 | $57 |
| Lemaitre Vascular, Inc. | 2 | $52 |
| Abbott | 2 | $37 |
| Acell, Inc. | 1 | $28 |
| Bolton Medical Inc | 1 | $22 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $22 |
| Atricure, Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| Kls-martin L.p. | 1 | $16 |
| BD | 1 | $15 |
| Heartflow, Inc. | 1 | $10 |
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.
- LOTUS EDGE$127
How this compares
$1,326 in reported general payments places this provider in the 25th percentile of 72 thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in Colorado.
See all thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) providers in Colorado →
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.
Other thoracic surgery (cardiothoracic vascular surgery) in Greeley
- Reed QuinnGreeley$88K
- Michael RobichGreeley$43K
- Jason TchengGreeley$28K
- Hao PanLoveland$243K
- Patrick RudersdorfLakewood$235K
- Robert MeguidAurora$114K
- Boris SepesiEnglewood$113K
- Thomas ReeceAurora$110K
- Joseph ClevelandAurora$85K
- Jay PalAurora$79K
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.