Ralph Kahler, MD
Infectious Disease · Hattiesburg, MSNPI 1063526895
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 8 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 5 manufacturers reported payments, led by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. at 38.7% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $84 and has fallen 81.0% since, to $16 in 2024. That places this record below the midpoint for infectious disease clinicians in MS, where the typical reported total is $344.
Across 8 payments — averaging $21.36 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.$66
- Lundbeck LLC$54
- Convatec Inc.$18
- Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.$18
- Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.$16
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$171100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 4 | $66 |
| Lundbeck LLC | 1 | $54 |
| Convatec Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $16 |
How this compares
$171 in reported general payments places this provider in the 35th percentile of 36 infectious disease providers in Mississippi.
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 | 510 | $150,286 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 157 | $44,297 |
| Pantoprazole Sodium | 396 | $32,220 |
| JanuviaSitagliptin Phosphate | 107 | $30,622 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 105 | $29,531 |
| LinzessLinaclotide | 51 | $29,374 |
| XifaxanRifaximin | 18 | $29,284 |
| OzempicSemaglutide | 24 | $24,768 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 79 | $23,887 |
| FiaspInsulin Aspart (Niacinamide) | 59 | $18,520 |
| TresibaInsulin Degludec | 27 | $16,223 |
| Memantine Hcl | 391 | $15,757 |
| MyrbetriqMirabegron | 65 | $14,715 |
| Potassium Chloride | 173 | $14,258 |
| SantylCollagenase Clostridium Hist. | 27 | $14,131 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other infectious disease in Hattiesburg
- Thompson LiddellHattiesburg$2K
- Jason MossHattiesburg$2K
- Senate AmusuHattiesburg$1K
- Andrew LinHattiesburg$232
- Jesse PenicoGulfport$49K
- Jo DealJackson$9K
- Svenja AlbrechtJackson$5K
- Olatunji OluwatadeVicksburg$3K
- Satwinder SinghGreenville$2K
- Rathel NolanJackson$2K
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.