Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Saro Avakian, M.D.
Family Medicine · Glendale, 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. Avakian 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. Avakian
Dr. Saro Avakian is a family medicine specialist in Glendale, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Avakian performed 9,543 Medicare services across 4,788 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Avakian received a total of $19,002 from 50 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 720 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in family 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. Avakian 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.
✓ 19 years in practice
▲ Top 1% volume in CA
$19,002 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗9,543
Medicare services
Top 1% in CA for family medicine
4,788
Unique beneficiaries
$70
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~502 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
1,390 | $80 | $150 |
| 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. |
1,274 | $68 | $150 |
| 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. |
1,074 | $108 | $200 |
| Blood glucose test using hand-held instrument A test that measures the level of sugar in the blood using a portable device. The result helps monitor blood glucose levels. |
753 | $3 | $20 |
| 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. |
587 | $102 | $200 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
580 | $80 | $145 |
| 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. |
414 | $90 | $200 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up A follow-up annual wellness visit that includes a personalized prevention plan of service. |
391 | $144 | $200 |
| Annual alcohol misuse screening, 5 to 15 minutes | 365 | $21 | $100 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 21-30 minutes A telephone conversation with a physician lasting between 21 and 30 minutes. This code covers the time spent discussing medical matters over the phone. |
357 | $104 | $175 |
| Annual depression screening | 348 | $21 | $100 |
| Hospital discharge day management, 30 minutes or less This service covers the final day of hospital care when the patient is being discharged. It includes coordination of care and instructions for the patient within a time frame of 30 minutes or less. |
268 | $70 | $180 |
| 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. |
203 | $13 | $120 |
| Vitamin B-12 injection An injection of vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin) with a dose of up to 1000 mcg. |
193 | $1 | $25 |
| Flu vaccine administration This procedure involves the administration of the influenza virus vaccine. It covers the process of delivering the vaccine to the patient. |
186 | $34 | $40 |
| Obesity behavioral counseling, 15 minutes A 15-minute face-to-face session focused on behavioral counseling to help manage obesity. |
157 | $28 | $100 |
| Smoking cessation counseling, more than 10 minutes Intensive counseling session focused on helping patients quit smoking and tobacco use, lasting more than 10 minutes. |
150 | $30 | $100 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
137 | $111 | $240 |
| Quadrivalent influenza vaccine, cell culture-derived A flu shot that protects against four strains of the influenza virus. It is produced using cell culture technology rather than traditional egg-based methods. |
131 | $32 | $42 |
| Nursing facility visit, moderate complexity A follow-up visit by a healthcare provider at a nursing facility for an established patient. The visit involves moderate medical decision making and takes at least 30 minutes. |
118 | $93 | $145 |
| 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. |
111 | $149 | $300 |
| Nursing facility visit, low complexity A daily follow-up visit for an existing patient in a nursing facility involving straightforward medical decision making. The visit requires at least 15 minutes of time if time is used to determine the level of care. |
78 | $65 | $122 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
43 | $1 | $60 |
| 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. |
36 | $12 | $50 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
35 | $58 | $100 |
| Influenza vaccine, quadrivalent, 0.5 ml dosage | 31 | $20 | $53 |
| Ketorolac injection, per 15 mg An injection of ketorolac tromethamine, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, administered in doses measured per 15 mg. |
30 | $0 | $50 |
| Initial nursing facility care, high complexity An initial visit by a healthcare provider to a patient in a nursing facility involving a high level of medical decision making, lasting at least 45 minutes. |
23 | $151 | $201 |
| 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. |
21 | $135 | $250 |
| Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
21 | $51 | $120 |
| Flu vaccine, quadrivalent A flu shot containing four strains of the influenza virus to help prevent seasonal influenza infection. |
19 | $76 | $100 |
| Annual wellness visit, initial visit A yearly appointment to review your health and create a personalized prevention plan. This initial visit focuses on preventive care and health assessment. |
19 | $183 | $250 |
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 ↗$19,002
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $2,715/year across 7 years
Top 2% in CA for family medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
50
Companies
720
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
$18,885 (99.4%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$118 (0.6%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$2,520
2023
$1,312
2022
$2,449
2021
$684
2020
$975
2019
$5,794
2018
$5,269
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ABBVIE INC.
$369
Amgen Inc.
$318
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$206
Abbott Laboratories
$199
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$196
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$178
Ardelyx, Inc.
$150
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$147
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$147
Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$121
Novo Nordisk Inc
$95
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$64
AIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
$55
Lundbeck LLC
$50
IRONWOOD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
$46
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$32
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$30
PFIZER INC.
$29
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$23
VIVUS LLC
$21
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$17
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$15
Lilly USA, LLC
$13
Top 3 companies account for 35.4% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$2,317
Amgen Inc.
$1,779
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$1,022
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$984
Novo Nordisk Inc
$964
AbbVie, Inc.
$821
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$780
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$693
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$667
Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc
$663
ABBVIE INC.
$639
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$585
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$539
AbbVie Inc.
$529
Abbott Laboratories
$483
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$470
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$446
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$441
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$427
PFIZER INC.
$328
Lilly USA, LLC
$282
ABIOMED
$277
Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.
$231
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$194
Allergan, Inc.
$193
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$182
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$178
Allergan Inc.
$160
Ardelyx, Inc.
$150
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$147
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$147
Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$135
Boston Scientific Corporation
$125
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$123
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$119
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$114
Metuchen Pharmaceuticals
$96
IRONWOOD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
$95
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$85
Coloplast Corp
$71
AIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
$55
Lundbeck LLC
$50
AKRIMAX PHARMACEUTICALS, LLC
$46
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$38
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$32
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$23
West-Ward Pharmaceuticals
$23
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$21
VIVUS LLC
$21
Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$15
Top 3 companies account for 26.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AJOVY · AMPLATZER · AMPLATZER Occluders · ANORO · APRISO · Aimovig · Amitiza · BASAGLAR · BEVESPI AEROSPHERE · BRILINTA · BYSTOLIC · CHANTIX · CREON · CardioMEMS HF System · Creon · DAKLINZA · DUZALLO · EDARBI · ELIQUIS · EVENITY · Edarbi · Edarbyclor · FARXIGA · GEMTESA · GENERAL BPH · Gralise · HORIZANT · IBSRELA · INVOKANA · Impella · Inpefa · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · LEQVIO · LINZESS · LUCEMYRA · LYRICA · LifeVest · Linzess · Livalo · MOTEGRITY · MOUNJARO · MYRBETRIQ · Mitigare · Motegrity · NEXLETOL · NEXLIZET · Otezla · Ozempic · PANCREAZE · PENNSAID · PRALUENT · PRALUENT ALIROCUMAB INJECTION · PREVNAR - 13 · PREVNAR 20 · Prolia · QULIPTA · RELISTOR · RELISTOR ORAL · REXULTI · RYBELSUS · Repatha · Restorelle · Rybelsus · SEGLENTIS · SPIRIVA RESPIMAT · STIOLTO · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SYMBICORT · Stendra · TRADJENTA · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRINTELLIX · TRULANCE · TRULICITY · Tresiba · Trintellix · Trulance · UBRELVY · UTIBRON · VIBERZI · VIVLODEX · VOQUEZNA · VRAYLAR · Vascepa · Victoza · XARELTO · XIFAXAN · ZENPEP · ZORYVE
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 (99%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for family medicine in CA.
Geographic Context
Family medicine physicians within 10 mi
3,226
Per 100K population
32.8
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
GLENDALE MEM HOSPITAL & HLTH CENTER
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. Avakian is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 1% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 2% of CA peers, with 19 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. Avakian experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Avakian performed 1,390 office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 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. Avakian receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Avakian received a total of $19,002 from 50 companies across 720 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. Avakian's costs compare to other family medicine physicians in Glendale?
Dr. Avakian's average Medicare payment per service is $70. 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. Avakian) 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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