Medicare Enrolled
Dr. James Howard, M.D.
Emergency Medicine · Encinitas, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
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. Howard 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. Howard
Dr. James Howard is an emergency medicine specialist in Encinitas, CA, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Howard performed 8,110 Medicare services across 4,035 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Howard received a total of $352 from 1 pharmaceutical and/or device company across 4 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in emergency medicine. Most payments are for meals and travel — low-value interactions common across virtually all practicing physicians. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Howard 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 0% volume in CA
$352 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗8,110
Medicare services
Top 0% in CA for emergency medicine
4,035
Unique beneficiaries
$75
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~451 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home health agency supervision, complex multidisciplinary care Supervision by a physician or allowed practitioner for a patient receiving Medicare-covered services from a participating home health agency. This involves complex and multidisciplinary care modalities, with the patient not present during the supervision. |
3,125 | $86 | $119 |
| 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. |
1,324 | $44 | $64 |
| Home visit, established patient, moderate complexity A home visit for an established patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 40 minutes of time if time is used to determine the level of service. |
530 | $104 | $307 |
| Home health plan of care re-certification A physician reviews the patient's status and contacts the home health agency to re-certify the plan of care without the patient being present. |
435 | $35 | $46 |
| 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. |
430 | $99 | $332 |
| Home visit, established patient, high complexity A home visit for an established patient involving high-level medical decision making, lasting at least 60 minutes. |
248 | $150 | $489 |
| Remote therapeutic monitoring, additional 20 minutes This service covers the physician's time for managing remote therapeutic monitoring data beyond the initial monthly allotment. It applies for each additional 20-minute increment used within a calendar month. |
234 | $34 | $107 |
| 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. |
221 | $141 | $462 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
191 | $68 | $229 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
147 | $8 | $25 |
| 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. |
132 | $53 | $169 |
| 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. |
128 | $129 | $449 |
| Remote therapeutic monitoring, first 20 minutes Physician management of remote therapeutic monitoring data for the first 20 minutes per calendar month. |
122 | $42 | $136 |
| Chronic care management, additional 20 min/month This service covers an extra 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional for managing two or more chronic conditions each calendar month. |
122 | $40 | $129 |
| Home visit, established patient, low complexity A physician visits an existing patient at their residence to provide care involving a low level of medical decision making. The visit lasts at least 30 minutes. |
60 | $63 | $207 |
| Remote respiratory monitoring device supply, 30 days Supply of a device that records and transmits respiratory data for remote monitoring over a 30-day period. |
59 | $46 | $147 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range. |
59 | $83 | $302 |
| Automated urinalysis An automated laboratory test performed on a urine sample to analyze its chemical and physical properties. The procedure uses machinery to detect various substances and cells within the urine. |
57 | $2 | $6 |
| Advance care planning consultation, first 30 min A session focused on discussing and documenting future healthcare preferences and goals. This service covers the initial 30 minutes of the planning discussion. |
57 | $84 | $223 |
| Musculoskeletal remote monitoring device supply, 30 days A device supply that records and transmits data for remote monitoring of the musculoskeletal system over a 30-day period. |
53 | $46 | $147 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up A follow-up annual wellness visit that includes a personalized prevention plan of service. |
50 | $138 | $324 |
| Influenza virus detection test A laboratory test that uses an immunoassay technique to detect the presence of the influenza virus through direct visual observation. |
46 | $16 | $41 |
| Remote therapy monitoring setup and education This service involves setting up equipment and providing patient education for the remote monitoring of therapy. |
39 | $18 | $56 |
| SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay test A laboratory test using immunoassay techniques to detect the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. |
28 | $35 | $87 |
| Flu vaccine administration This procedure involves the administration of the influenza virus vaccine. It covers the process of delivering the vaccine to the patient. |
27 | $33 | $40 |
| Flu vaccine, quadrivalent A flu shot containing four strains of the influenza virus to help prevent seasonal influenza infection. |
24 | $76 | $179 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle A procedure involving the administration of a medication or substance via injection into the subcutaneous tissue or muscle. |
24 | $11 | $45 |
| Assessment of and care planning for patient with impaired thought processing, typically 60 minutes | 23 | $202 | $769 |
| Psychological or neuropsychological test, first 30 minutes Administration of psychological or neuropsychological testing for the first 30 minutes. |
20 | $24 | $124 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 20 | $157 | $582 |
| Respiratory virus detection test A laboratory test using immunoassay techniques to detect the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and influenza viruses. |
18 | $32 | $77 |
| 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. |
17 | $12 | $46 |
| Transitional care management, high complexity Coordination of care for a patient transitioning from a short-term hospital stay or other facility to home or another care setting. This service addresses a high-complexity medical problem. |
15 | $205 | $620 |
| Strep A rapid test A rapid test to detect Group A Streptococcus bacteria using an immunoassay method with direct visual observation. |
14 | $16 | $41 |
| Chest X-ray, 2 views An X-ray imaging test of the chest that captures two different angles to visualize the lungs, heart, and chest wall. |
11 | $28 | $87 |
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.
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$352
Total received (2022-2024)
Avg $117/year across 3 years
Top 23% in CA for emergency medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
1
Company
4
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.
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$352 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$90
2023
$29
2022
$233
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
UCB, Inc.
$90
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2022-2024) ›
UCB, Inc.
$352
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Zilbrysq
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 →
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
Emergency medicines within 10 mi
664
Per 100K population
20.2
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
SCRIPPS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - ENCINITAS
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. Howard is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 0% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Howard experienced with home health agency supervision, complex multidisciplinary care?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Howard performed 3,125 home health agency supervision, complex multidisciplinary care 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. Howard receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Howard received a total of $352 from 1 company across 4 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. Howard's costs compare to other emergency medicines in Encinitas?
Dr. Howard's average Medicare payment per service is $75. 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. Howard) 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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