Ronald Kantola, DO
Cardiology · Fort Smith, ARNPI 1265412506
Payments from drug & device makers
Across 536 payments — averaging $30.34 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Boston Scientific$6K
- Medtronic$2K
- Novartis$2K
- Johnson & Johnson$1K
- Amgen$894
- Boehringer Ingelheim$734
- plus $3K from 22 others
What the payments were for
- Travel & lodging$2,64116%
- Food & beverage$13,31982%
- Education$3042%
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 | 122 | $6,402 |
| Medtronic(2 entities) | 36 | $2,241 |
| Novartis | 92 | $1,552 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 47 | $1,014 |
| Amgen | 43 | $894 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 32 | $734 |
| Merck | 41 | $679 |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC | 25 | $522 |
| Pfizer | 17 | $413 |
| Bayer | 16 | $374 |
| AstraZeneca | 23 | $314 |
| Astellas Pharma US Inc | 5 | $264 |
| Amarin Pharma, Inc. | 2 | $137 |
| Abiomed | 1 | $124 |
| Shockwave Medical, Inc | 1 | $112 |
| E.r. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | 6 | $88 |
| Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. | 7 | $86 |
| Lundbeck LLC | 3 | $58 |
| Novo Nordisk | 4 | $56 |
| Salix Pharmaceuticals, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 3 | $49 |
| Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | 3 | $44 |
| Philips North America LLC | 1 | $19 |
| Eisai Inc. | 1 | $17 |
| Irhythm Technologies, Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $16 |
| Lilly USA, LLC | 1 | $13 |
| Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. | 1 | $13 |
| Gilead | 1 | $11 |
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.
- WATCHMAN Access System$1,858
- INGEVITY$928
- Micra$916
- XARELTO$374
- Cobalt$276
- COBALT DR MRI SURESCAN$264
- GENERAL - THERAPIES$253
- Repatha$250
- JARDIANCE$240
- AZURE XT DR MRI SURESCAN$129
- Vascepa$125
- Kerendia$125
- ELIQUIS$125
- PRALUENT$125
- Claria MRI$125
- Impella$124
- EMBLEM$122
- EMBLEM MRI S-ICD$122
- VIGILANT$121
- Farapulse$119
How this compares
Too few cardiology providers in Arkansasto place this figure against a meaningful peer group, so we don't.
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 | 629 | $684,917 |
| EntrestoSacubitril/Valsartan | 259 | $298,555 |
| JardianceEmpagliflozin | 99 | $125,838 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 132 | $120,277 |
| MultaqDronedarone Hcl | 40 | $51,362 |
| Repatha SureclickEvolocumab | 36 | $35,321 |
| Ranolazine ErRanolazine | 286 | $27,848 |
| FarxigaDapagliflozin Propanediol | 28 | $24,648 |
| Irbesartan | 487 | $8,210 |
| Torsemide | 610 | $8,154 |
| Carvedilol | 1,026 | $8,133 |
| Ezetimibe | 376 | $7,724 |
| Praluent PenAlirocumab | 14 | $7,093 |
| Atorvastatin Calcium | 612 | $6,233 |
| Hydralazine Hcl | 293 | $5,766 |
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 | $413 | $684,917629 claims |
| NovartisEntresto | $1,552 | $298,555259 claims |
| Boehringer IngelheimJardiance | $734 | $125,83899 claims |
| Johnson & JohnsonXarelto | $1,014 | $120,277132 claims |
| Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLCMultaq | $522 | $51,36240 claims |
| AstraZenecaFarxiga | $314 | $24,64828 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. There are too few cardiology providers in Arkansason file to place this against a meaningful peer group, so we don't.
Other cardiology in Fort Smith
- Jose AlemparteFort Smith$12K
- Ayman AlshamiPine Bluff$14K
- Benjamin FolkLake Village$3K
- Otis WarrMountain Home$2K
- Margaret KuykendallBatesville$899
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.