Ruth Blum, MD
Urology · Billings, MTNPI 1588058168
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 95.1% of the total across 11 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 6 manufacturers reported payments, led by Boston Scientific at 57.6% of the total. That places this record below the midpoint for urology clinicians in MT, where the typical reported total is $1,996.
Across 11 payments — averaging $65.44 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Boston Scientific$415
- Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.$125
- Johnson & Johnson$120
- AstraZeneca$35
- Laborie Medical Technologies Corp.$17
- Ambu Inc.$8
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$68595%
- Education$355%
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 | 6 | $415 |
| Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 1 | $125 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 1 | $120 |
| AstraZeneca | 1 | $35 |
| Laborie Medical Technologies Corp. | 1 | $17 |
| Ambu Inc. | 1 | $8 |
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.
- ADSTILADRIN$125
- RYBREVANT$120
- CARVYKTI$120
How this compares
$720 in reported general payments places this provider in the 20th percentile of 45 urology providers in Montana.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MyrbetriqMirabegron | 42 | $34,503 |
| GemtesaVibegron | 41 | $19,504 |
| Estradiol | 33 | $3,668 |
| Tamsulosin Hcl | 254 | $3,574 |
| Potassium Citrate ErPotassium Citrate | 17 | $1,498 |
| Finasteride | 101 | $1,048 |
| Nitrofurantoin Mono-MacroNitrofurantoin Monohyd/M-Cryst | 13 | $379 |
| Oxybutynin Chloride | 50 | $293 |
| Doxazosin Mesylate | 12 | $263 |
| Cephalexin | 24 | $198 |
| Chlorthalidone | 11 | $170 |
| Sulfamethoxazole-TrimethoprimSulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim | 48 | $139 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 67 | $117 |
| Levofloxacin | 12 | $29 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other urology in Billings
- Lisa BlandBillings$4K
- Adam DowellBillings$4K
- Daniel FaaborgBillings$3K
- Daniel SwansonBillings$2K
- Michael HickmanBillings$1K
- Daniel HolstBillings$1K
- Christopher SchreiberBillings$1K
- Karin BrownBillings$997
- Robert StockdaleBillings$143
- Lawrence KleeBillings$20
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.