---
title: What industry pays physicians in Kentucky (CMS Open Payments 2024)
state: Kentucky
program_year: 2024
general_payments: 34686269
physicians: 16316
source: CMS — Open Payments (Physician Payments Sunshine Act), program year 2024
sourceId: src:cms:open-payments:py2024
---

# Industry payments to physicians — Kentucky (2024)

In Kentucky, drug and device makers reported **$34,686,269** in general payments to **16,316** covered recipients (physicians and other clinicians) for program year 2024 (mean $2,126 each), plus $60,888,821 tied to research and $6,355,917 in ownership interests.

**A payment is a disclosed financial tie, not proof of wrongdoing** — many are research grants, consulting fees, or device royalties. Transparency, not a verdict.

## Top specialties

| Specialty | Total | Physicians | Mean per physician |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | $5,864,790 | 256 | $22,909 |
| Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine | $3,296,974 | 23 | $143,347 |
| Family | $1,959,971 | 3,090 | $634 |
| Surgery of the Hand | $1,201,312 | 14 | $85,808 |
| Dermatology | $1,157,326 | 110 | $10,521 |
| Gastroenterology | $1,122,498 | 167 | $6,722 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health | $1,111,205 | 661 | $1,681 |
| Psychiatry | $1,091,217 | 163 | $6,695 |
| Physician Assistant | $943,174 | 881 | $1,071 |
| Surgery | $921,201 | 293 | $3,144 |
| Hematology & Oncology | $885,972 | 121 | $7,322 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $853,641 | 1,065 | $802 |

## Highest-paid physicians (general payments)

| Physician | Specialty | Total | Top payer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jonathan Yerasimides | Orthopaedic Surgery | $1,925,722 | Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. |
| Arthur Malkani | Orthopaedic Surgery | $1,696,965 | Stryker Corporation |
| Luis Scheker | Surgery of the Hand | $1,194,461 | Aptis Medical, LLC |
| Mladen Djurasovic | Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine | $963,962 | Medtronic, Inc. |
| Leon Kircik | Dermatology | $726,398 | UCB, Inc. |
| Jeffery Gum | Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine | $615,434 | Medtronic, Inc. |
| Gerald Dryden | Gastroenterology | $535,577 | AbbVie Inc. |
| Keneth Strenge | Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine | $530,686 | Alphatec Spine, Inc |
| Paul Karpecki | Optometrist | $514,610 | Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc. |
| John Lewis | Orthopaedic Surgery | $365,409 | Stryker Corporation |
| Roger Owens | Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine | $332,056 | Globus Medical, Inc. |
| Rifaat El-Mallakh | Psychiatry | $310,638 | Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. |
| Carmen Pinto | Psychiatry | $274,792 | Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. |
| Phillip Singer | Orthopaedic Surgery | $255,817 | SI-BONE, Inc. |
| Robert Knetsche | Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine | $235,582 | Choice Spine, LLC |
| Bradley Eilerman | Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism | $230,244 | Corcept Therapeutics |
| John Korba | Unspecified | $212,800 | Convatec Inc. |
| Melissa Knuckles | Dermatology | $212,775 | Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. |
| John Kitchens | Retina Specialist | $194,837 | Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. |
| Firas Badin | Hematology & Oncology | $193,467 | Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. |
| Ruth Carrico | Family | $192,094 | Pfizer Inc. |
| Lee Clore | Allergy & Immunology | $190,948 | Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc. |
| Eric Smith | Surgery | $182,515 | Intuitive Surgical, Inc. |
| Brian Thornton | Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery | $175,583 | Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation Inc. |
| James Sublett | Allergy & Immunology | $174,034 | Genzyme Corporation |

RECORDED CMS Open Payments amounts/counts; totals, means, and rankings are DERIVED. A disclosure record — not evidence of improper influence, not a measure of physician quality, not advice. To verify a physician, search openpaymentsdata.cms.gov. Source: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/

Structured data: `/care/open-payments/ky.jsonld` · National: `/care/open-payments`