Kunjan Bhatt, MD
Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology · Austin, TXNPI 1770668758
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — consulting fees (48.8%), speaking fees and food and beverage — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 36 manufacturers reported payments, led by Abbott at 54.4% of the total. 2025 is the largest year on record at $123,203, 2.1 times the $57,608 reported in 2019. Among advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology clinicians in TX with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 1,049 payments — averaging $308.75 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Abbott$176K
- Pfizer$66K
- Bridgebio Pharma, Inc.$42K
- Novartis$14K
- Cvrx, Inc.$10K
- AstraZeneca$6K
- plus $9K from 30 others
Across 149 payments — averaging $8833.93 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.
- Abbott$1.1M
- Cvrx, Inc.$139K
- Bayer$78K
- Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.$49K
- Medtronic$242
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$157,94049%
- Speaking & faculty fees$117,41336%
- Travel & lodging$12,5224%
- Food & beverage$35,88111%
- Education$1270%
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 | 517 | $176,211 |
| Pfizer | 105 | $66,340 |
| Bridgebio Pharma, Inc. | 29 | $42,050 |
| Novartis | 74 | $13,531 |
| Cvrx, Inc. | 54 | $10,394 |
| AstraZeneca | 27 | $6,497 |
| Abiomed | 49 | $2,641 |
| Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. | 19 | $1,309 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 23 | $738 |
| Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. | 39 | $572 |
| Merck | 22 | $467 |
| Novo Nordisk | 7 | $432 |
| Boston Scientific | 9 | $395 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 13 | $313 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 5 | $279 |
| Bayer | 6 | $236 |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc. | 5 | $182 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 6 | $159 |
| Amgen | 5 | $156 |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 2 | $145 |
| Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. | 2 | $141 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 7 | $129 |
| Shockwave Medical, Inc | 1 | $119 |
| Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, PLC | 4 | $94 |
| Daiichi Sankyo Inc. | 2 | $56 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 5 | $53 |
| Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. | 1 | $35 |
| Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $35 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 2 | $32 |
| Heartflow, Inc. | 1 | $30 |
| Atricure, Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| GE HealthCare | 1 | $21 |
| Sandoz | 1 | $21 |
| United Therapeutics Corporation | 1 | $18 |
| Chiesi USA, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Sensible Medical Innovations 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$92,478
- VYNDAQEL$64,646
- CardioMEMS HF System$53,182
- Attruby$41,863
- ENTRESTO$12,532
- THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT$11,296
- Barostim Neo System$9,368
- HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Dev$6,524
- WAINUA$5,801
- HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device$3,560
- OPTIMIZER$1,598
- Impella$656
- 2ND GEN CENTRIMAG PRIMARY CONSOLE$597
- ASSURITY$438
- Ensite Cardiac Mapping System$162
- HeartMate$161
- OPTIMIZER SMART SYSTEM$148
- MitraClip System$143
- GALLANT$141
- FUROSCIX$135
How this compares
$323,882 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 75 advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Texas.
See all advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Texas →
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 | 402 | $9,843,928 |
| VyndaqelTafamidis Meglumine | 43 | $1,402,003 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 448 | $538,908 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 318 | $290,394 |
| EliquisApixaban | 141 | $142,585 |
| FuroscixFurosemide | 14 | $128,726 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 107 | $105,055 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 16 | $24,122 |
| Potassium Chloride | 352 | $14,873 |
| DapagliflozinDapagliflozin Propanediol | 26 | $12,659 |
| Torsemide | 209 | $10,290 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 337 | $5,666 |
| Eplerenone | 31 | $3,430 |
| Carvedilol | 375 | $3,369 |
| Spironolactone | 470 | $3,195 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PfizerVyndamax, Vyndaqel, Eliquis | $66,340 | $11,388,517586 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $13,531 | $538,908448 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $6,497 | $290,394318 claims |
| Scpharmaceuticals Inc.Furoscix | $182 | $128,72614 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $129 | $105,055107 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $53 | $24,12216 claims |
| SandozEnoxaparin Sodium | $21 | $1,43418 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 90th percentile of 75 advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology providers in Texas.
Other advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology in Austin
- Jerome ThomasAustin$182K
- Clay CauthenAustin$51K
- Raymond BietryAustin$15K
- Andrew ChengAustin$6K
- Robert GottliebDallas$717K
- Albert HicksTemple$613K
- Allen AndersonSan Antonio$413K
- Martin BerkDallas$379K
- Aasim AfzalPlano$336K
- Barry TrachtenbergHouston$306K
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.