Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Andrew Wassef, M.D.

Orthopedic Surgery · Lakewood, CA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Consulting-driven
5750 DOWNEY AVE STE 308, Lakewood, CA 90712
5626333787
In practice since 2009 (16 years)
NPI: 1982848099 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. Wassef 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. Wassef

Dr. Andrew Wassef is an orthopedic surgery specialist in Lakewood, CA, with 16 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Wassef performed 7,188 Medicare services across 1,737 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Wassef received a total of $1,234,257 from 20 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 920 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopedic 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. Wassef 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.

✓ 16 years in practice ▲ Top 6% volume in CA $1,234,257 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
7,188
Medicare services
Top 6% in CA for orthopedic surgery
1,737
Unique beneficiaries
$49
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~449 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
Joint lubricant injection (Synvisc) 3,360 $7 $30
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)
A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered.
1,186 $1 $16
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.
846 $103 $326
Knee X-ray, 3 views
An X-ray imaging test of the knee joint that captures three different angles to evaluate the bones and surrounding structures.
379 $36 $105
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
346 $57 $238
Hip X-ray, 2-3 views
An X-ray imaging test of the hip joint using two to three different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
328 $41 $120
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.
132 $131 $455
Knee X-ray, 1-2 views
An X-ray imaging test of the knee joint using one to two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
130 $30 $85
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views
An X-ray imaging test of the shoulder joint using at least two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
84 $32 $85
Lidocaine HCl injection for IV infusion, 10 mg
Administration of a 10 mg dose of lidocaine hydrochloride via intravenous infusion.
64 $0 $10
Total knee replacement 54 $1,096 $3,537
X-ray of both hips, 2 views
An X-ray imaging test that captures two views of both hip joints to evaluate bone structure and alignment.
41 $35 $168
Injection, garamycin, gentamicin, up to 80 mg 39 $2 $24
Total hip replacement
Surgical procedure to replace the thigh bone and hip joint with artificial components.
37 $1,097 $3,580
Drug delivery implant insertion
A procedure to place an implant that releases medication into the body's tissue.
35 $26 $377
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 32 $174 $569
Hyaluronan gel injection for joint
An injection of hyaluronan gel into a joint to supplement joint fluid. This procedure is administered as a single dose.
21 $396 $1,362
Musculoskeletal surgical navigation with imaging guidance
A surgical procedure that uses imaging technology to guide orthopedic operations on the musculoskeletal system.
17 $183 $750
Sciatic nerve release
A surgical procedure to free the sciatic nerve from surrounding tissues that may be compressing or restricting it.
16 $292 $1,312
Revision of thigh bone and hip joint prosthesis
This procedure involves the surgical replacement or repair of an existing artificial hip joint and thigh bone implant.
15 $1,600 $5,205
Revision of thigh and lower leg bone components of total knee joint prosthesis
This procedure involves replacing the bone components of a total knee replacement that connect to the thigh and lower leg bones. It is performed to update or fix parts of the existing knee joint prosthesis.
14 $1,462 $4,758
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.
12 $147 $540
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.
2.2% high complexity
69.1% medium
28.7% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$1,234,257
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $176,322/year across 7 years
Top 2% in CA for orthopedic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
20
Companies
920
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
$1,068,031 (86.5%)
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$161,350 (13.1%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$4,875 (0.4%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$284,062
2023
$323,324
2022
$169,832
2021
$128,769
2020
$133,053
2019
$148,075
2018
$47,143

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Stryker Corporation
$180,600
Austin Medical Ventures Inc
$103,266
Next Science LLC
$172
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$25
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Stryker Corporation
$1,048,159
Austin Medical Ventures Inc
$161,691
Bone Support Inc.
$19,023
Biocomposites Inc
$2,896
KCI USA, Inc.
$902
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$472
Dynasplint Systems Inc.
$192
Next Science LLC
$172
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$162
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$120
Globus Medical, Inc.
$107
Myoscience Inc.
$89
Lima USA, Inc.
$52
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$45
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$45
Bioventus LLC
$40
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$33
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$21
Horizon Pharma plc
$20
ERMI Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 99.6% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCOLADE · ANTHEM · ASCENTIAL ACP 1 · ATTUNE · AUGMENT INJECTABLE · AUTOBAHN · Ankle Fracture System · BLUEPRINT PATIENT SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTATION · CERAMENTBONE VOID FILLER · DUEXIS · Durolane · Dynasplint · EXPAREL · GELSYN-3 · GMRS · INSIGNIA · INSPACE · MAKO · MOTIONSENSE DIGITAL GONIOMETER · NA · NAV - KNEE NAVIGATION SOFTWARE AND INSTRUMENTATION · NAV -3INAVIGATION PLATFORM · NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT · NONE · ORTHOMAP · ORTHOVISC · PATIENT-FITTED TMJ RECONSTRUCTIVE PROSTHESIS SYSTEM · PEAK · PENNSAID · PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS · PICO 7 · PREVENA · PREVENA RESTOR ARTHROFORM · PROFYLE · Persona · RAYOS · RENASYS GO v2 HOME · RESTORATION · REUNION · ROSA · SMR · STAR · SYNVISC-ONE · Samples Biologics · Sports Medicine Product Portfolio · Stimulan · Synthecure · Synthecure Calcium Sulfate · TRIATHLON · TRIDENT · TRITANIUM · Taperloc · UNIVERSAL · Xperience · Zilretta
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 (86%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for orthopedic surgery in CA.

Looking for an orthopedic surgery specialist in Lakewood?
Compare orthopedic surgeons in the Lakewood area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Orthopedic surgeons within 10 mi
649
Per 100K population
6.6
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
UCI HEALTH-LAKEWOOD
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. Wassef is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 6% in CA), with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 2% of CA peers, with 16 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. Wassef experienced with joint lubricant injection (synvisc)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Wassef performed 3,360 joint lubricant injection (synvisc) 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. Wassef receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Wassef received a total of $1,234,257 from 20 companies across 920 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. Wassef's costs compare to other orthopedic surgeons in Lakewood?
Dr. Wassef's average Medicare payment per service is $49. 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. Wassef) 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 →