Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Ralph Gambardella, MD

Sports Medicine (Orthopaedic Surgery) Physician · Los Angeles, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
6801 PARK TER, Los Angeles, CA 90045
3106657200
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1205803087 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. Gambardella 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 →
Are you Dr. Gambardella? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Gambardella

Dr. Ralph Gambardella is a sports medicine physician in Los Angeles, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Gambardella performed 580 Medicare services across 480 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Gambardella received a total of $77,722 from 13 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 136 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician. 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. Gambardella 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 ▲ 580 Medicare services $77,722 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
580
Medicare services
Bottom 34% in CA for sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
480
Unique beneficiaries
$77
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~29 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
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.
125 $138 $550
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.
123 $101 $425
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.
68 $77 $301
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.
54 $35 $144
Betamethasone steroid injection
An injection containing a combination of betamethasone acetate and betamethasone sodium phosphate.
52 $5 $20
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.
44 $75 $372
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.
42 $29 $122
Knee X-ray, 4 or more views
An imaging test using X-rays to create multiple pictures of the knee joint from different angles.
37 $41 $165
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
24 $54 $231
Elbow X-ray, minimum 3 views
An X-ray imaging test of the elbow joint that captures at least three different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
11 $22 $115
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 ↗
$77,722
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $11,103/year across 7 years
Top 8% in CA for sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
13
Companies
136
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
$67,756 (87.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$7,333 (9.4%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$2,632 (3.4%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,169
2023
$1,085
2022
$1,472
2021
$1,130
2020
$6,992
2019
$17,250
2018
$48,624

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$676
Miach Orthopaedics, Inc.
$183
Arcuro Medical Inc
$173
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$137
Top 3 companies account for 88.2% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Smith & Nephew, Inc.
$47,689
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$21,157
Stryker Corporation
$3,919
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$2,632
Arcuro Medical Inc
$1,173
Vericel Corporation
$225
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$186
Miach Orthopaedics, Inc.
$183
Saxum Surgical, Inc.
$150
Bioventus LLC
$149
Aesculap Biologics, LLC
$126
Catalyst OrthoScience
$84
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$48
Top 3 companies account for 93.6% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
560 SERIES HD Camera System · ACCU-PASS · ACUFEX · AccuFill · Archer CSR Total Shoulder System · Arthroscopic Cannulas & Trocars · CAP-FIX · CINCHLOCK · CINCHLOCK SS · COR · Coblation Wands · Covac · Cutinova Hydro · Durolane · EVOS SMALL · HIP ARTHROSCOPY ACCESS & INSTRUMENTATION SET · MACI · MACI _ PEAK Study · MICRORAPTOR Knotless Shoulder · N/A · NANO TACT FLEX · NONE · NOVOCART 3D · Q-FIX · REGENETEN Shoulder · RF20000 · Regeneten · SUPERBALL · SuperBall · Werewolf System · 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 (87%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 8% for sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician in CA.

Looking for a sports medicine physician in Los Angeles?
Compare sports medicine physicians in the Los Angeles area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse sports medicine physicians nearby

Geographic Context

Sports medicine physicians within 10 mi
77
Per 100K population
0.8
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
CEDAR-SINAI MARINA DEL REY HOSPITAL
3.1 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. Gambardella is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 8% of CA 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. Gambardella experienced with new patient office visit (45-59 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Gambardella performed 125 new patient office visit (45-59 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. Gambardella receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Gambardella received a total of $77,722 from 13 companies across 136 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. Gambardella's costs compare to other sports medicine physicians in Los Angeles?
Dr. Gambardella's average Medicare payment per service is $77. 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. Gambardella) 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 →