Thomas Kowalkowski, DO
Interventional Pain Medicine · Sartell, MNNPI 1477569606
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 8 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 7 manufacturers reported payments, led by Bioventus LLC at 29.5% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2023 at $44 and has fallen 55.7% since, to $19 in 2025. That places this record below the midpoint for interventional pain medicine clinicians in MN, where the typical reported total is $2,257.
Across 8 payments — averaging $20.74 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Bioventus LLC$49
- Nevro Corp.$25
- Medtronic$23
- Axonics, Inc.$21
- Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc$19
- Biodelivery Sciences International, Inc.$15
- plus $14 from 1 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$166100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bioventus LLC | 2 | $49 |
| Nevro Corp. | 1 | $25 |
| Medtronic | 1 | $23 |
| Axonics, Inc. | 1 | $21 |
| Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc | 1 | $19 |
| Biodelivery Sciences International, Inc. | 1 | $15 |
| Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $14 |
How this compares
$166 in reported general payments places this provider in the 5th percentile of 26 interventional pain medicine providers in Minnesota.
See all interventional pain medicine providers in Minnesota →
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Buprenorphine-NaloxoneBuprenorphine Hcl/Naloxone Hcl | 24 | $7,233 |
| SuboxoneBuprenorphine Hcl/Naloxone Hcl | 13 | $3,504 |
| Morphine Sulfate ErMorphine Sulfate | 120 | $2,669 |
| Tramadol Hcl ErTramadol Hcl | 17 | $463 |
| Gabapentin | 35 | $457 |
| Methadone Hcl | 29 | $309 |
| Tramadol Hcl | 38 | $213 |
| Tizanidine Hcl | 21 | $157 |
| Oxycodone Hcl | 23 | $114 |
| Hydrocodone-AcetaminophenHydrocodone/Acetaminophen | 21 | $95 |
| Zolpidem Tartrate | 15 | $55 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Other interventional pain medicine in Sartell
- Samir ElghorSartell$660
- Thomas CohnSartell$619
- Gabriel Pagani-EstevezRochester$179K
- Nima AdimiChaska$114K
- Ryan BirklandRochester$15K
- James ParmeleMaple Grove$13K
- Jason WolffMaple Grove$9K
- Gregory CrewdsonMaplewood$8K
- Jasvinder SinghMaplewood$6K
- Gabriel SmithRochester$5K
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.