Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Louis Brunsting, MD

Thoracic Surgery · Cincinnati, OH
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
10496 MONTGOMERY RD STE 104, Cincinnati, OH 45242
5138655120
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1356334692 verify on NPPES ↗
Very High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 4 of 4 federal sources
Measures public federal data availability — not provider quality
Informational, not a quality rating. This page presents federal public records about Dr. Brunsting from CMS (NPPES, Open Payments, Medicare Provider Utilization, PECOS). It is not medical advice, an endorsement, or a judgment of clinical quality. Always consult the provider directly and a licensed clinician for medical decisions. Read methodology →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Brunsting

Dr. Louis Brunsting is a thoracic surgery specialist in Cincinnati, OH, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Brunsting performed 182 Medicare services across 180 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Brunsting received a total of $140,424 from 16 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 146 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Brunsting is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 20 years in practice ▲ Top 38% volume in OH $140,424 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
182
Medicare services
Top 38% in OH for thoracic surgery
180
Unique beneficiaries
$213
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~9 Medicare services per year of practice

Top procedures by volume

Ranked by number of services performed for Medicare patients. Avg. submitted charge is what the provider billed; avg. Medicare payment is what CMS paid.

Procedure Volume Avg. paid Avg. submitted
Initial hospital admission, high complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
36 $127 $600
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 33 $161 $606
Endoscopic vein harvest
A surgical procedure to remove a vein using an endoscope, which is a thin, lighted tube inserted through small incisions.
23 $12 $52
Heart ultrasound interpretation and report
A professional review and written report of an ultrasound image of the heart.
23 $69 $311
Coronary artery bypass graft, 1 artery
Surgical procedure to bypass a blocked coronary artery using a graft from another artery. This restores blood flow to the heart muscle.
19 $1,289 $5,917
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead
A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report.
18 $10 $52
Home health plan of care certification
Certification by a physician or allowed practitioner for Medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care. This includes contacting the home health agency and reviewing reports of patient status required by physicians.
18 $37 $180
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)
An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter.
12 $136 $425
How to read this data: This reflects Medicare patients only (typically 65+). Payment amounts are what Medicare paid the provider, not your out-of-pocket cost. A higher procedure volume generally indicates more experience with that procedure.
10.4% high complexity
12.6% medium
76.9% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$140,424
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $20,061/year across 7 years
Top 6% in OH for thoracic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
16
Companies
146
Individual payments
All payments are legal and publicly reported · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →

Payment profile

Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$132,281 (94.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$8,143 (5.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$3,224
2023
$93,222
2022
$2,128
2021
$5,198
2020
$172
2019
$24,079
2018
$12,400

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ATRICURE, INC.
$2,664
Abbott Laboratories
$341
ABIOMED
$186
Medtronic, Inc.
$33
Top 3 companies account for 99.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$132,281
ATRICURE, INC.
$3,906
Abbott Laboratories
$916
Medtronic, Inc.
$854
AtriCure, Inc.
$832
ABIOMED
$311
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$286
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$286
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$209
Covidien LP
$135
Corcym Inc
$115
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$100
Haemonetics Corporation
$96
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$39
CONMED Corporation
$34
LSI SOLUTIONS INC
$23
Top 3 companies account for 97.6% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM · ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION · ATRICURE CRYOICE CRYOABLATION SYSTEM (CRYO2) · ATRICURE CRYOICE CRYOSPHERE CRYOABLATION SYSTEM · ATRICURE CRYOSURGICAL SYSTEM · ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · AVALUS · AirSeal · AngioVac · AtriCure Cryosurgical System · AtriCure Synergy Ablation System · Avalus · COR KNOT · DA VINCI SP · Da Vinci Surgical System · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX · EPIC · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · Epi-Sense Guided Coagulation System with VisiTrax · FREESTYLE · ISOLATOR SURGICAL ABLATION SYSTEM · Impella · LifeSPARC · MOSAIC · Memo4D · Models · Mosaic · Open Pivot · PERCEVAL · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · SIMULUS · SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · Simulus · TEG6S HEMOSTASIS SYSTEM · THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Trifecta GT Tissue Heart Valve · VNS Therapy · ZIO XT Patch
Should you be concerned? Payments from pharmaceutical and device companies are legal and common — 57% of U.S. physicians receive at least one. They often reflect legitimate consulting, research, or education. What matters is whether a recommended drug or device appears in your doctor's payment records. If so, consider asking your doctor about it. How to interpret this data →

The majority of payments (94%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 6% for thoracic surgery in OH.

Looking for a thoracic surgery specialist in Cincinnati?
Compare thoracic surgerists in the Cincinnati area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Thoracic surgerists within 10 mi
33
Per 100K population
4.0
County median income
$70,816
Nearest hospital
BETHESDA NORTH
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPES Weekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOS Monthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util. Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open Payments CY 2024
Disciplinary History — Not public N/A

This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Brunsting is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 6% of OH peers, with 20 years of NPI registration.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Brunsting experienced with initial hospital admission, high complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Brunsting performed 36 initial hospital admission, high complexity services. Research suggests that higher procedure volume is often associated with better outcomes, particularly for complex procedures. Note that Medicare data only captures patients aged 65 and older, so the total practice volume across all patients is likely higher.
Does Dr. Brunsting receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Brunsting received a total of $140,424 from 16 companies across 146 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common among physicians — 57% of all U.S. physicians receive at least one industry payment. Patients may wish to ask their doctor about these relationships, especially if a recommended drug or device appears in the payment records.
How do Dr. Brunsting's costs compare to other thoracic surgerists in Cincinnati?
Dr. Brunsting's average Medicare payment per service is $213. Note that these figures represent what Medicare pays, not your out-of-pocket cost, which depends on your specific insurance plan and deductible. Procedure-level data above shows both what was submitted and what Medicare paid for each service type.
What does Data Coverage mean?
Data Coverage (currently Very High for Dr. Brunsting) measures how much public federal data is available about a provider. It is not a quality rating. A "Very High" or "High" level means the provider has data across multiple federal sources (NPPES, PECOS, Medicare Utilization, Open Payments), indicating a long track record of practice, Medicare participation, and industry disclosure. A "Low" or "Moderate" level may simply mean the provider is newer, does not see Medicare patients, or has not received any industry payments — none of which are inherently negative. Read our full methodology →
Is this data up to date?
Each data source has its own update cycle. Provider registry data (NPPES) is updated weekly. Medicare enrollment (PECOS) is updated monthly. Medicare practice data has a ~2 year lag — the most recent available is typically 2 years prior. Industry payment data (Open Payments) is published annually, usually in June, covering the prior calendar year. We display the data date prominently on each section so you always know how current it is. See our data freshness policy →
About this page

All data on this page is sourced verbatim from public federal records published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): NPPES ↗, Open Payments ↗, Medicare Provider Utilization ↗, and PECOS. Publication is mandated by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (§6002 ACA, 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7h) and the Freedom of Information Act.

This page is not medical advice, an endorsement, a recommendation, or a quality rating. Data Coverage reflects data completeness — how much federal information exists for this provider — not clinical performance, patient outcomes, or quality of care. Always verify information directly with the provider and consult a licensed clinician before making medical decisions.

Provider corrections: Provider portal · Privacy questions: Privacy Policy · Terms: Terms of Use · Methodology: Methodology

Data Disclaimer — Data sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), Open Payments program, Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data, and Provider Enrollment & Certification data (PECOS). Published under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This website is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by CMS, HHS, or the U.S. Government. Data may contain errors as reported to CMS by providers and reporting entities. Payments from industry are legal and do not indicate wrongdoing. Medicare data reflects only patients aged 65+ or those with qualifying disabilities. For corrections, contact CMS directly. This information does not constitute medical advice and should not be used as the sole basis for choosing a healthcare provider. Procedure descriptions use plain language and do not reference CPT® codes, which are copyrighted by the American Medical Association. Full methodology → · Report a data error → · Privacy policy →