Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Fahed Bitar, M.D.
Cardiovascular Disease · Covina, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
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. Bitar 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. Bitar
Dr. Fahed Bitar is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Covina, CA, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Bitar performed 5,298 Medicare services across 2,564 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Bitar received a total of $60,562 from 57 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 1025 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Bitar 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.
✓ 18 years in practice
▲ Top 18% volume in CA
$60,562 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗5,298
Medicare services
Top 18% in CA for cardiovascular disease
2,564
Unique beneficiaries
$76
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~294 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote patient monitoring device, 30 days Initial setup of devices for remote monitoring of body functions with daily data transmission or alerts. This service covers the first 30 days of the monitoring period. |
789 | $47 | $223 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) A follow-up office visit for an existing patient lasting between 30 and 39 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
742 | $106 | $250 |
| Remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month Management based on results from remote vital sign monitoring for the first 20 minutes per calendar month. |
717 | $43 | $170 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service. |
603 | $67 | $225 |
| Remote vital sign monitoring management, each additional 20 minutes This code covers the time spent by a provider managing patient data from remote vital sign monitoring devices. It applies to each additional 20-minute increment beyond the initial monthly service period. |
465 | $34 | $135 |
| 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. |
394 | $12 | $80 |
| Psychiatric collaborative care follow-up, first 60 minutes A follow-up psychiatric care management visit for subsequent calendar months. The service covers the first 60 minutes of collaborative care coordination. |
300 | $124 | $511 |
| 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. |
253 | $147 | $600 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
242 | $102 | $325 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter. |
175 | $133 | $425 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
170 | $178 | $940 |
| Psychiatric collaborative care management, additional 30 minutes This code covers each additional 30 minutes of psychiatric collaborative care management provided per calendar month. |
106 | $51 | $195 |
| Remote physiologic monitoring setup and education Initial setup of remote monitoring equipment and patient education on its use. |
70 | $18 | $67 |
| Chronic care management, first 20 min/month This service covers the first 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional each calendar month to manage chronic conditions. |
49 | $55 | $200 |
| Initial psychiatric collaborative care management, first 70 minutes This service covers the first 70 minutes of psychiatric collaborative care management during the initial calendar month of treatment. |
40 | $135 | $513 |
| Ultrasound of arm or leg veins An ultrasound exam of the veins in the arm or leg. The test uses sound waves to check blood flow and may include compression and other maneuvers. |
35 | $170 | $675 |
| Cardiac catheterization | 26 | $196 | $1,000 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
21 | $174 | $650 |
| Psychiatric collaborative care management, first 30 minutes This service involves behavioral health manager activities coordinated with a psychiatric consultant and directed by the treating physician. It covers the initial or subsequent care management for the first 30 minutes within a month. |
21 | $51 | $216 |
| Transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery A minimally invasive procedure to replace a diseased aortic heart valve using a catheter inserted through the skin and femoral artery. |
16 | $610 | $2,631 |
| Echocardiogram with color Doppler An ultrasound of the heart that uses color imaging to visualize blood flow, measure flow rate, and assess valve function. |
16 | $3 | $225 |
| Ultrasound of leg arteries or grafts An imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the blood vessels in the legs or any surgical grafts present. |
13 | $200 | $650 |
| Transesophageal echocardiogram An ultrasound of the heart performed using a probe inserted into the esophagus to obtain detailed images of heart structures and function. |
12 | $91 | $500 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound test that uses sound waves to create images of the heart's blood flow, valves, and chambers. |
12 | $15 | $158 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review. |
11 | $57 | $375 |
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.
4.2% high complexity
2.0% medium
93.7% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$60,562
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $8,652/year across 7 years
Top 8% in CA for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
57
Companies
1,025
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.
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$37,923 (62.6%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$22,639 (37.4%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$2,509
2023
$2,631
2022
$2,318
2021
$6,508
2020
$5,886
2019
$18,180
2018
$22,530
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$423
Medtronic, Inc.
$378
PFIZER INC.
$264
Abbott Laboratories
$198
ATRICURE, INC.
$180
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$143
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$140
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$134
Novo Nordisk Inc
$131
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$104
Boston Scientific Corporation
$61
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$61
Amgen Inc.
$56
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$54
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$50
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$37
Philips North America LLC
$23
CVRx, Inc.
$22
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$17
ABIOMED
$17
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 42.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$23,065
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$13,577
Abbott Laboratories
$3,806
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$3,293
ABIOMED
$2,235
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$1,706
Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
$1,703
PFIZER INC.
$1,513
Boston Scientific Corporation
$1,058
Amgen Inc.
$991
Medtronic, Inc.
$858
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$830
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$555
Novo Nordisk Inc
$517
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$436
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$417
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$412
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$345
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$298
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$257
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$236
CARDIVA MEDICAL, INC.
$224
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$217
ATRICURE, INC.
$180
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$170
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$161
Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
$153
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$140
Chiesi USA, Inc.
$102
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$102
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$81
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$77
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
$71
Teleflex LLC
$65
Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
$64
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$59
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$57
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$54
Braemar Manufacturing, LLC
$42
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$42
Invuity, Inc.
$36
AtriCure, Inc.
$33
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$33
Lilly USA, LLC
$31
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$26
BIOTRONIK INC.
$24
Philips North America LLC
$23
CVRx, Inc.
$22
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$22
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company
$22
Cardinal Health 200, LLC
$21
Emmaus Medical, Inc.
$20
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$19
Arrow International, Inc.
$19
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$16
AbbVie Inc.
$14
Vertiflex, Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 66.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(BQ9) Coronary IVUS · ACCOLADE · ANDEXXA · ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM · AVEIR · Arcalyst · Asahi Fielder coronary guide wire · Assure WCD · BEVYXXA · BRILINTA · Barostim Neo System · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CARDIVA VASCADE 6/7F VCS · CHANTIX · CLEVIPREX · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · COROFLOW · Cardiac Monitoring Suite · CardioMEMS HF System · CareLink · Catheter - Specialty Access · Claria MRI · Confirm Rx · CoreValve Evolut · Corlanor · Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System · DALVANCE · DYNAGEN · Dragonfly OCT · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · ELIQUIS · EMBLEM · EMBLEM MRI S-ICD · ENTRESTO · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX · Edarbi · Edarbyclor · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · Endari · Epi-Sense Guided Coagulation System with VisiTrax · FARXIGA · FLEXITOUCH · FUROSCIX · Fox Sv PTA catheter and Armada 14 percutaneous catheter and Viatrac 14 Plus peripheral catheter · GENERAL BRADY · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL TACHY · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL - THERAPIES · GIAPREZA · INSPIRE · Impella · Inpefa · Interventional Products · JARDIANCE · KENGREAL · LATITUDE · LEQVIO · LINQ II · LOKELMA · LUTONIX · LUX DX · LUX-DX · LifeSPARC System · LifeVest · Livalo · MICRA · MITRACLIP · MOUNJARO · MULTAQ · MYCARELINK · MYLUX · Micra · Mitra Clip system · MitraClip System · Models · MyCareLink · NC TREK NEO · NEXLETOL · ONYX FRONTIER · OPSUMIT · Optimizer · Ozempic · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · PRESSUREWIRE · Pacemakers · Peripheral Orbital Atherectomy System · Photonblade · Quadra Assura CRT Defibrillator · RESONATE · Repatha · Reveal LINQ · Rybelsus · S ICD · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · SC2000 · SQ RX PULSE GENERATOR · SYMPLICITY G3 · Superion ISS · TEGSEDI · VERQUVO · VIGILANT · VYNDAQEL · Varithena Administration Pack · Vascepa · VenaSeal · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN Access System · WATCHMAN FLX · Wegovy · XARELTO · XIENCE SKYPOINT · Xience Alpine cornary stent system · Xience Sierra Coronary Stent · Xience Sierra Coronary Stent System · Xience V coronary stent system
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 (63%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in cardiovascular disease and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 8% for cardiovascular disease in CA.
Geographic Context
Cardiologists within 10 mi
379
Per 100K population
3.8
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
EMANATE HEALTH INTER-COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
0.0 mi
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. Bitar is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 18% in CA), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 8% of CA peers, with 18 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. Bitar experienced with remote patient monitoring device, 30 days?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Bitar performed 789 remote patient monitoring device, 30 days 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. Bitar receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Bitar received a total of $60,562 from 57 companies across 1,025 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. Bitar's costs compare to other cardiologists in Covina?
Dr. Bitar's average Medicare payment per service is $76. 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. Bitar) 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 →
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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.
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