Thomas Kaffenberger, MD
Otolaryngology · Pittsburgh, PANPI 1609317874
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
This record is dominated by consulting fees: $26,813 of the $32,874 with a category attached, or 81.6%. Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. accounts for 97.5% of it on its own, with 3 other manufacturers making up the rest. 2025 is the largest year on record at $20,277, more than ten times the $14 reported in 2021. Among otolaryngology clinicians in PA 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 56 payments — averaging $587.04 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.$32K
- ZOLL Respicardia, Inc.$538
- Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.$253
- Baxter Healthcare$14
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$26,81382%
- Speaking & faculty fees$2,0006%
- Travel & lodging$1,8446%
- Food & beverage$2,2187%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 51 | $32,069 |
| ZOLL Respicardia, Inc. | 2 | $538 |
| Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2 | $253 |
| Baxter Healthcare | 1 | $14 |
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.
- Inspire$31,277
- remede System$450
- XYWAV$253
How this compares
$32,874 in reported general payments places this provider in the 95th percentile of 456 otolaryngology providers in Pennsylvania.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Azelastine Hcl | 18 | $258 |
| Fluticasone Propionate | 22 | $150 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other otolaryngology in Pittsburgh
- Stella LeePittsburgh$438K
- Matthew SpectorPittsburgh$56K
- Umamaheswar DuvvuriPittsburgh$48K
- Jose ZevallosPittsburgh$40K
- Priya KrishnaPittsburgh$20K
- Eric WangPittsburgh$15K
- Suman GollaPittsburgh$13K
- Giuseppe StaltariPittsburgh$8K
- Warren SwegalPittsburgh$7K
- Carl SnydermanPittsburgh$6K
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.