Stephen Pieper, MD
Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology · Saint Louis, MONPI 1144214297
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
6 manufacturers reported payments, led by Abbott at 57.0% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2020 at $3,677 and has fallen 88.6% since, to $419 in 2025. That places this record below the midpoint for clinical cardiac electrophysiology clinicians in MO, where the typical reported total is $14,594.
Across 74 payments — averaging $101.45 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Abbott$4K
- Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.$3K
- Biotronik Inc.$209
- Abiomed$144
- Pfizer$58
- Medtronic$13
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$3,37545%
- Food & beverage$4,13355%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Abbott | 25 | $4,279 |
| Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc. | 42 | $2,804 |
| Biotronik Inc. | 4 | $209 |
| Abiomed | 1 | $144 |
| Pfizer | 1 | $58 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $13 |
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.
- Allure CRT Pacemaker$3,375
- OPTIMIZER$2,940
- OPTIMIZER SMART SYSTEM$288
- Accent Pacemaker$150
- Impella$144
- Quadra Assura CRT Defibrillator$144
- Rivacor$144
- Solia$144
- Edora$144
- BioMonitor$144
- Acticor$144
How this compares
$7,508 in reported general payments places this provider in the 35th percentile of 74 clinical cardiac electrophysiology providers in Missouri.
See all clinical cardiac electrophysiology providers in Missouri →
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 | 228 | $251,088 |
| XareltoRivaroxaban | 52 | $54,057 |
| MultaqDronedarone Hcl | 26 | $20,026 |
| Dofetilide | 19 | $4,522 |
| Amiodarone Hcl | 84 | $2,344 |
| Metoprolol Succinate | 66 | $788 |
| Diltiazem 24hr Er (Cd)Diltiazem Hcl | 25 | $403 |
| SotalolSotalol Hcl | 18 | $311 |
| Carvedilol | 44 | $288 |
| Digoxin | 11 | $215 |
| Atenolol | 26 | $168 |
| Metoprolol Tartrate | 16 | $75 |
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 | $58 | $251,088228 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 35th percentile of 74 clinical cardiac electrophysiology providers in Missouri.
Other clinical cardiac electrophysiology in Saint Louis
- Phillip CuculichSaint Louis$473K
- Daniel CooperSaint Louis$168K
- Krasimira MikhovaSaint Louis$52K
- Gregory BotteronSaint Louis$52K
- Ali MehdiradSaint Louis$47K
- Milan KahandaSaint Louis$45K
- Saulius KalvaitisSaint Louis$43K
- Gabriel SotoSaint Louis$39K
- Justin PieperSaint Louis$39K
- Christopher BauerSaint Louis$38K
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.