Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Albert Sharf, MD
Cardiovascular Disease · National City, CA
Practice pattern: Cardiac Imaging
— Practice with significant diagnostic imaging and stress testing
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. Sharf 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. Sharf
Dr. Albert Sharf is a cardiovascular disease specialist in National City, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Sharf performed 13,308 Medicare services across 6,943 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Sharf received a total of $75,573 from 46 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 1052 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. Sharf 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 4% volume in CA
$75,573 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗13,308
Medicare services
Top 4% in CA for cardiovascular disease
6,943
Unique beneficiaries
$94
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~700 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 (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. |
2,414 | $100 | $200 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test An injection of regadenoson, a medication used to stress the heart during diagnostic testing. |
1,956 | $44 | $200 |
| 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. |
1,417 | $12 | $100 |
| Technetium Tc-99m tetrofosmin diagnostic injection A diagnostic injection of Technetium Tc-99m tetrofosmin used for imaging studies. |
1,131 | $76 | $400 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
732 | $153 | $750 |
| 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. |
573 | $46 | $100 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and during stress using a special camera. |
558 | $390 | $1,500 |
| Intravenous drug injection A procedure involving the administration of a medication or substance directly into a vein. |
558 | $34 | $100 |
| 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. |
557 | $54 | $150 |
| Tc-99m radiopharmaceutical, non-highly enriched uranium source This code covers the cost of Technetium-99m radiopharmaceuticals derived from non-highly enriched uranium sources. It is billed as an add-on per study dose for full cost recovery. |
479 | $8 | $30 |
| 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. |
335 | $144 | $450 |
| 30-day continuous ECG with patient-triggered event transmission and review This procedure involves continuous electrocardiogram monitoring for up to 30 days, including the transmission of patient-triggered events. A healthcare professional reviews the data and provides a report. |
245 | $771 | $1,500 |
| Continuous ECG monitoring, up to 30 days Continuous heart rhythm monitoring for up to 30 days, including professional review and reporting of the results. |
244 | $19 | $500 |
| 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. |
244 | $201 | $550 |
| 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. |
235 | $46 | $150 |
| Remote monitoring of implantable heart device, up to 30 days Remote evaluation of an implanted heart or blood vessel monitoring system over a period of up to 30 days. |
191 | $20 | $50 |
| 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. |
175 | $136 | $250 |
| 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. |
168 | $139 | $400 |
| Remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month Management based on results from remote vital sign monitoring for the first 20 minutes per calendar month. |
156 | $42 | $150 |
| Remote cardiac rhythm monitor evaluation, up to 30 days Review and analysis of data from a remote cardiac rhythm monitoring system over a period of up to 30 days. |
151 | $20 | $100 |
| 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. |
150 | $66 | $150 |
| Remote physiologic monitoring setup and education Initial setup of remote monitoring equipment and patient education on its use. |
113 | $17 | $100 |
| 2-day continuous ECG with review and report A two-day continuous electrocardiogram recording that includes a professional review and written report of the results. |
77 | $55 | $200 |
| Pacemaker system evaluation Assessment of a pacemaker device, including single, dual, multiple lead, or leadless systems. |
77 | $49 | $80 |
| Ultrasound of abdominal aorta An imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the abdominal aorta, the large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lower body. |
71 | $122 | $500 |
| Implantable defibrillator system check A check of the implanted defibrillator device to ensure it is functioning correctly. This evaluation covers single, dual, or multiple lead systems. |
57 | $56 | $150 |
| Remote pacemaker monitoring, 90 days Remote assessment of a pacemaker system, including single, dual, multiple lead, or leadless devices, performed up to 90 days apart. |
53 | $24 | $70 |
| 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. |
38 | $34 | $100 |
| 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. |
37 | $121 | $250 |
| Continuous external EKG monitoring, 48 hours to 7 days This procedure involves recording, analyzing, and interpreting a continuous external electrocardiogram (EKG) over a period of more than 48 hours up to 7 days. |
34 | $241 | $450 |
| Spirometry test before and after medication A test that measures the amount of air you can exhale and the speed of your breathing before and after taking a medication. |
25 | $33 | $100 |
| Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, 1 day or longer This procedure involves wearing a device to record blood pressure over a day or longer. It includes analyzing the data, interpreting the results, and providing a report. |
23 | $34 | $120 |
| Smoking cessation counseling, 4-10 minutes A brief counseling session focused on helping patients quit smoking and tobacco use. The provider spends 4 to 10 minutes discussing strategies and support for cessation. |
23 | $16 | $50 |
| Stress echocardiogram with ECG monitoring An ultrasound of the heart performed while monitoring heart rhythm during rest, exercise, or medication-induced stress, followed by a review and report of the findings. |
11 | $199 | $500 |
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.
6.9% high complexity
42.0% medium
51.1% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$75,573
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $10,796/year across 7 years
Top 7% in CA for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
46
Companies
1,052
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
$60,273 (79.8%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$15,300 (20.2%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$7,657
2023
$16,412
2022
$13,123
2021
$6,335
2020
$2,602
2019
$3,360
2018
$26,084
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boston Scientific Corporation
$5,504
BIOTRONIK INC.
$393
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$312
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$272
PFIZER INC.
$226
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$180
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$165
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$98
HEARTFLOW, INC.
$84
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$61
Amgen Inc.
$60
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$59
Novo Nordisk Inc
$47
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$36
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$30
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$27
VivaQuant Inc, dba Rhythm Express
$27
ABIOMED
$21
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$19
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$17
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 81.1% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$28,290
Boston Scientific Corporation
$23,569
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$4,434
Amgen Inc.
$3,568
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$3,095
BIOTRONIK INC.
$2,716
PFIZER INC.
$1,664
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$954
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$934
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$858
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$514
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$494
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$387
Novo Nordisk Inc
$354
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$349
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$348
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$345
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$320
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$229
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$198
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
$168
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$160
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$159
Medtronic, Inc.
$134
Braemar Manufacturing, LLC
$132
Relypsa, Inc.
$130
Abbott Laboratories
$126
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$125
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$107
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$96
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$90
Lilly USA, LLC
$86
HEARTFLOW, INC.
$84
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$58
Baxter Healthcare
$46
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$36
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$34
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$30
Sobi, Inc
$27
VivaQuant Inc, dba Rhythm Express
$27
ABIOMED
$21
Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA
$19
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$17
CVRx, Inc.
$17
AtriCure, Inc.
$12
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 74.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AMVIA EDGE · AMVUTTRA · ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · AZURE XT DR MRI SURESCAN · Accent Pacemaker · Acticor · Acticor 7 VR-T DX · Adempas · Arcalyst · Assure WCD · BIOMONITOR · BRILINTA · Barostim Neo System · CAMZYOS · CARDIOFORM Septal Occluder · CHANTIX · CROME DR MRI SURESCAN · Cardiac Monitoring Suite · Confirm Rx · Corlanor · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · EVKEEZA · Edora · FARXIGA · FFRct · FUROSCIX · Hillrom - Cardiac Ambulatory Monitor · INJECTAFER · Impella · Inpefa · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LEXISCAN · LOKELMA · LUX-Dx Insertable Cardiac Monitor · LifeVest · MICRA · MITRACLIP · MOVANTIK · MULTAQ · Micra · Mitigare · Mitra Clip system · MitraClip System · OPSUMIT · OPSUMIT MACITENTAN · Optimizer · Ozempic · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · PRALUENT ALIROCUMAB INJECTION · RYBELSUS · Renamic Neo · Repatha · Reveal LINQ · Rhythm Express · Rivacor · Rivacor 7 DR-T · Rybelsus · SYMBICORT · TRULICITY · UPTRAVI · VERQUVO · VYNDAMAX · VYNDAQEL · Vascepa · Veltassa · Verquvo · VersaCross Access Solution · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN Access System · WATCHMAN FLX · XARELTO
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 (80%) 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 7% for cardiovascular disease in CA.
Geographic Context
Cardiologists within 10 mi
210
Per 100K population
6.4
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
PARADISE VALLEY 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. Sharf is a cardiac imaging specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 4% in CA), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 7% 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. Sharf experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Sharf performed 2,414 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. Sharf receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Sharf received a total of $75,573 from 46 companies across 1,052 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. Sharf's costs compare to other cardiologists in National City?
Dr. Sharf's average Medicare payment per service is $94. 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. Sharf) 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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