Dr. Sara Smith, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Smith
Dr. Sara Smith is a cytopathology physician in Palm Springs, CA, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Smith performed 1,134 Medicare services across 767 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Smith received a total of $435 from 4 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 8 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cytopathology physician. 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. Smith 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tissue staining for diagnosis, additional An extra laboratory procedure to apply special stains to tissue slides for detailed examination. |
229 | $21 | $64 |
| Tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity A laboratory test where a pathologist examines tissue samples under a microscope to analyze cellular details. This intermediate complexity procedure involves specialized techniques to identify abnormalities in the tissue. |
161 | $48 | $303 |
| Screening cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation, screening by cytotechnologist under physician supervision | 159 | $20 | $65 |
| Moderately high complexity pathology tissue examination A laboratory test where a pathologist examines tissue samples under a microscope to analyze cellular details. This specific level of complexity involves a moderate to high degree of technical skill and interpretation. |
152 | $62 | $235 |
| HPV high-risk type nucleic acid test A laboratory test that uses nucleic acid detection to identify high-risk types of human papillomavirus. |
136 | $34 | $90 |
| Manual microscopic genetic analysis of tumor A laboratory test that uses a microscope to manually examine tumor tissue for genetic changes. |
65 | $32 | $129 |
| Cell examination of specimen, concentration technique A laboratory test that uses a concentration technique to examine cells from a specimen. |
58 | $17 | $66 |
| Pathology tissue examination, moderate complexity A laboratory test where a pathologist examines tissue samples under a microscope to identify abnormalities. This specific level indicates a moderate degree of complexity in the analysis. |
43 | $8 | $95 |
| Pap test, manual screening A laboratory test in which a healthcare provider manually examines a sample of cells from the cervix under a microscope to check for abnormalities. |
35 | $19 | $65 |
| Fine needle aspirate evaluation and report A pathologist examines cells collected via a fine needle aspiration and provides a written interpretation and report of the findings. |
32 | $52 | $165 |
| Tissue preparation to remove calcium A laboratory procedure that removes calcium from a tissue sample to prepare it for microscopic examination. |
24 | $9 | $35 |
| High complexity pathology tissue examination A laboratory test where a pathologist examines tissue samples under a microscope using advanced techniques to analyze cellular details. |
15 | $103 | $380 |
| Tissue staining for diagnosis, initial A laboratory test where special stains are applied to tissue slides to help examine the cells and identify specific characteristics. |
14 | $70 | $256 |
| Screening cytopathology, cervical or vaginal (any reporting system), collected in preservative fluid, automated thin layer preparation, requiring interpretation by physician | 11 | $22 | $65 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
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. Smith is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 17 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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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