Leif Christianson
Interventional Cardiology · Duluth, MNNPI 1477715530
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
11 manufacturers reported payments, led by Boston Scientific at 58.1% of the total. That places this record below the midpoint for interventional cardiology clinicians in MN, where the typical reported total is $5,396.
Across 148 payments — averaging $33.21 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Boston Scientific$3K
- Edwards Lifesciences$1K
- Shockwave Medical, Inc$312
- Teleflex LLC$141
- Abiomed$94
- Medtronic$93
- plus $206 from 5 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$2,23245%
- Food & beverage$2,68355%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Scientific | 36 | $2,858 |
| Edwards Lifesciences | 77 | $1,213 |
| Shockwave Medical, Inc | 19 | $312 |
| Teleflex LLC | 2 | $141 |
| Abiomed | 3 | $94 |
| Medtronic | 4 | $93 |
| Abbott | 2 | $85 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 1 | $55 |
| Novartis | 2 | $33 |
| AbbVie | 1 | $18 |
| Terumo Medical Corporation | 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.
- ROTABLATOR$1,091
- VersaCross Access Solution$1,029
- SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA$133
How this compares
$4,916 in reported general payments places this provider in the 45th percentile of 84 interventional cardiology providers in Minnesota.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| EliquisApixaban | 81 | $96,313 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 32 | $22,787 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 17 | $19,864 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 12 | $15,154 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 180 | $4,167 |
| Ranolazine ErRanolazine | 21 | $3,317 |
| ClopidogrelClopidogrel Bisulfate | 180 | $2,794 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 142 | $2,194 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 151 | $2,110 |
| Isosorbide Mononitrate ErIsosorbide Mononitrate | 84 | $1,364 |
| Diltiazem 24hr Er (Cd)Diltiazem Hcl | 13 | $1,291 |
| Lisinopril | 110 | $973 |
| Carvedilol | 94 | $873 |
| Losartan Potassium | 69 | $872 |
| Metoprolol Tartrate | 58 | $620 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| NovartisEntresto | $33 | $15,15412 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 45th percentile of 84 interventional cardiology providers in Minnesota.
Other interventional cardiology in Duluth
- Wilson GineteDuluth$4K
- Jason SchultzDuluth$3K
- Kalkidan BishuDuluth$2K
- Faraz Nasim KazmiDuluth$2K
- Thom DahleSaint Cloud$1.1M
- Stephen KiddSaint Cloud$607K
- Brian StegmanSt Cloud$587K
- Emmanouil BrilakisMinneapolis$548K
- Wesley PedersenMinneapolis$493K
- Michael ManolesMinneapolis$201K
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.