Richard Paustian
Interventional Cardiology · Helena, MTNPI 1790851319
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.8% of the total across 163 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 14 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 22.1% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Reporting peaked in 2022 at $759 and has fallen 94.7% since, to $41 in 2025. That places this record below the midpoint for interventional cardiology clinicians in MT, where the typical reported total is $5,910.
Across 163 payments — averaging $16.07 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novartis$579
- AstraZeneca$501
- Johnson & Johnson$436
- Abbott$352
- Bayer$195
- E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.$174
- plus $383 from 8 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$2,615100%
- Education$50%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Novartis | 35 | $579 |
| AstraZeneca | 31 | $501 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 32 | $436 |
| Abbott | 21 | $352 |
| Bayer | 11 | $195 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 9 | $174 |
| Pfizer | 8 | $115 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 6 | $105 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 4 | $62 |
| Turn-key Medical, Inc. | 2 | $38 |
| Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. | 1 | $23 |
| Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. | 1 | $16 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 1 | $13 |
| ZOLL Services LLC (a/k/a ZOLL Lifecor Corp) | 1 | $12 |
How this compares
$2,620 in reported general payments places this provider in the 30th percentile of 22 interventional cardiology providers in Montana.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| EliquisApixaban | 29 | $41,905 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 21 | $17,028 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 11 | $13,815 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 12 | $13,050 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 15 | $11,077 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 70 | $1,203 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 60 | $667 |
| Rosuvastatin Calcium | 25 | $279 |
| Losartan Potassium | 14 | $248 |
| ClopidogrelClopidogrel Bisulfate | 13 | $242 |
| Carvedilol | 15 | $162 |
| Amlodipine Besylate | 17 | $106 |
| Lisinopril | 19 | $95 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PfizerEliquis | $115 | $41,90529 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $579 | $13,81511 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $436 | $13,05012 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $501 | $11,07715 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 30th percentile of 22 interventional cardiology providers in Montana.
Other interventional cardiology in Helena
- Sarah FentonHelena$335
- Steven GoldbergGreat Falls$134K
- Daniel SpoonMissoula$58K
- Robert MinorBillings$46K
- Michael EisenhauerGreat Falls$46K
- Joshua VogtKalispell$41K
- Claudia Lama von BuchwaldBillings$29K
- Per SommerBillings$27K
- James MadduxMissoula$26K
- Robert TerryBillings$12K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.