Ron Karni, MD
Otolaryngology · Houston, TXNPI 1053434910
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — speaking fees (54.9%), travel and lodging and consulting fees — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. Tactile Systems Technology Inc accounts for 80.1% of it on its own, with 13 other manufacturers making up the rest. Among otolaryngology clinicians in TX with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 5% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 393 payments — averaging $806.08 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Tactile Systems Technology Inc$254K
- Johnson & Johnson$28K
- Covidien LP$22K
- Medical Device Business Services, Inc.$4K
- Medtronic$3K
- Omniguide, Inc.$2K
- plus $4K from 8 others
Across 1 payment — averaging $19,600 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.
- Tactile Systems Technology Inc$20K
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$65,06621%
- Speaking & faculty fees$174,07155%
- Travel & lodging$66,92221%
- Food & beverage$10,4763%
- Education$2560%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tactile Systems Technology Inc | 233 | $253,651 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 9 | $28,028 |
| Covidien LP | 29 | $22,188 |
| Medical Device Business Services, Inc. | 22 | $3,640 |
| Medtronic | 4 | $2,948 |
| Omniguide, Inc. | 1 | $2,413 |
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 72 | $1,576 |
| Intuitive Surgical | 4 | $1,198 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 13 | $635 |
| Neurent Medical Limited | 1 | $176 |
| Zimmer Biomet | 1 | $135 |
| Davol Inc. | 1 | $124 |
| Smith+Nephew | 2 | $57 |
| Kerecis Limited | 1 | $20 |
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.
- ENTRE$163,066
- Flexitouch Plus$138,904
- FLEXITOUCH$112,437
- ACTITOUCH$112,437
- Entre Plus$53,380
- Nimbl$34,896
- Harmonic$28,647
- BiZact$16,557
- Da Vinci Surgical System$1,139
- Inspire$363
- PerClot$292
- NEUROMARK Device$176
- NEUROMARK Radiofrequency Generator$176
- WalterLorenz Surgical Assist Arm$135
- DERMABOND$131
- ARISTA$124
How this compares
$316,791 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 729 otolaryngology 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 279 | $2,061 |
| Gabapentin | 65 | $990 |
| Azelastine Hcl | 31 | $986 |
| Omeprazole | 78 | $651 |
| SynthroidLevothyroxine Sodium | 12 | $559 |
| Albuterol Sulfate HfaAlbuterol Sulfate | 20 | $482 |
| Levothyroxine Sodium | 77 | $336 |
| Triamcinolone Acetonide | 13 | $326 |
| Ofloxacin | 13 | $277 |
| Ipratropium Bromide | 11 | $273 |
| Nystatin | 11 | $135 |
| Lidocaine Hcl ViscousLidocaine Hcl | 18 | $121 |
| Prednisone | 55 | $49 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 14 | $43 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other otolaryngology in Houston
- Amber LuongHouston$426K
- Arjuna KuperanHouston$348K
- Martin CitardiHouston$245K
- Michael KaplanHouston$202K
- Masayoshi TakashimaHouston$167K
- William YaoHouston$154K
- Andrew HuangHouston$137K
- Manish WaniHouston$100K
- Shane PahlavanHouston$95K
- Omar AhmedHouston$89K
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.