Valerie Kounkel, DO
Ophthalmology · West Des Moines, IANPI 1437118064
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 100.0% of the total across 138 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. 19 manufacturers reported payments, led by AbbVie at 27.6% of the total.
Across 138 payments — averaging $29.74 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- AbbVie$1K
- Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.$470
- Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.$373
- Bausch & Lomb, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC$333
- Amgen$316
- Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.$289
- plus $1K from 13 others
What the payments were for
- Food & beverage$4,105100%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVie(2 entities) | 42 | $1,132 |
| Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc. | 15 | $470 |
| Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 15 | $373 |
| Bausch & Lomb, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLC | 10 | $333 |
| Amgen(2 entities) | 9 | $316 |
| Oyster Point Pharma, Inc. | 9 | $289 |
| Alcon | 13 | $240 |
| Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 7 | $214 |
| Dompe US, Inc. | 4 | $213 |
| Rayner Intraocular Lenses Limited | 4 | $111 |
| Sight Sciences, Inc. | 1 | $100 |
| ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $86 |
| Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc. | 2 | $73 |
| Novartis | 1 | $55 |
| Rxsight Inc | 1 | $33 |
| Biotissue Holdings Inc. | 1 | $24 |
| Thea Pharma Inc. | 1 | $19 |
| Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc. | 1 | $13 |
| NEW World Medical,inc. | 1 | $12 |
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.
How this compares
$4,105 in reported general payments places this provider in the 80th percentile of 172 ophthalmology providers in Iowa.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| RestasisCyclosporine | 84 | $81,158 |
| LumiganBimatoprost | 192 | $66,691 |
| VyzultaLatanoprostene Bunod | 108 | $40,971 |
| XiidraLifitegrast | 20 | $25,140 |
| CombiganBrimonidine Tartrate/Timolol | 58 | $13,305 |
| RhopressaNetarsudil Mesylate | 34 | $10,073 |
| Restasis MultidoseCyclosporine | 13 | $8,227 |
| ProlensaBromfenac Sodium | 24 | $8,213 |
| TyrvayaVarenicline Tartrate | 12 | $8,034 |
| Alphagan PBrimonidine Tartrate | 25 | $7,360 |
| Travoprost | 57 | $6,754 |
| RocklatanNetarsudil Mesylat/Latanoprost | 13 | $4,170 |
| Lotemax SmLoteprednol Etabonate | 15 | $3,744 |
| Prednisolone Acetate | 104 | $2,837 |
| Gatifloxacin | 80 | $2,585 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AbbVieRestasis, Lumigan, Combigan, Restasis Multidose, Alphagan P | $1,132 | $176,742372 claims |
| Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.Vyzulta, Xiidra | $470 | $66,110128 claims |
| Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Rhopressa, Rocklatan | $214 | $14,24347 claims |
| Bausch & Lomb, A Division Of Bausch Health US, LLCProlensa, Lotemax Sm, Loteprednol Etabonate | $333 | $12,82057 claims |
| Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.Tyrvaya | $289 | $8,03412 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 80th percentile of 172 ophthalmology providers in Iowa.
Other ophthalmology in West Des Moines
- Jared NielsenWest Des Moines$117K
- Matthew RauenWest Des Moines$108K
- Kyle AllimanWest Des Moines$8K
- Frederick BlodiWest Des Moines$6K
- George ClavennaWest Des Moines$4K
- Andrew SteffensmeierWest Des Moines$3K
- Matthew RaeckerWest Des Moines$3K
- Mohamed HassanWest Des Moines$3K
- Steven JohnsonWest Des Moines$3K
- David SaggauWest Des Moines$3K
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.