Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Winston Alwes, OD

Optometrist · Rancho Mirage, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
72057 DINAH SHORE DR, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
7603403937
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1144325960 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. Alwes 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. Alwes? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Alwes

Dr. Winston Alwes is an optometrist in Rancho Mirage, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Alwes performed 628 Medicare services across 540 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Alwes received a total of $1,254 from 9 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 20 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optometrist. 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. Alwes 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 15% volume in CA $1,254 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
628
Medicare services
Top 15% in CA for optometrist
540
Unique beneficiaries
$60
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~33 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.
 456 $65 $96
Optic nerve imaging (OCT scan)
Imaging of the optic nerve.
 58 $25 $78
Visual field test, extended
A test that maps your complete field of vision to detect blind spots or peripheral vision loss. Extended testing provides a more detailed assessment than a standard visual field exam.
 53 $45 $111
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.
 32 $72 $140
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.
 17 $42 $59
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient
A comprehensive examination of the visual system performed for a patient who has previously been seen by the provider.
 12 $108 $160
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 ↗
$1,254
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $209/year across 6 years
Top 30% in CA for optometrist
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
9
Companies
20
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
$1,254 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$116
2023
$145
2021
$16
2020
$181
2019
$266
2018
$531

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
CooperVision Inc.
$92
Alcon Vision LLC
$24
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$207
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
$207
CooperVision Inc.
$176
Alcon Vision LLC
$160
Alcon Laboratories Inc
$146
Allergan Inc.
$125
Allergan, Inc.
$112
Shire North American Group Inc
$101
ABB Con-Cise Optical Group LLC
$20
Top 3 companies account for 47.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AcrySof · Acuvue · BTOD · Centurion · Clariti Contact Lens · Contact Lens · DAILIES · LOTEMAX SM · MyDay Contact Lens · OZURDEX · Precision 1 · RESTASIS · VYZULTA · XIIDRA
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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for an optometrist in Rancho Mirage?
Compare optometrists in the Rancho Mirage area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Optometrists within 10 mi
69
Per 100K population
2.8
County median income
$89,672
Nearest hospital
EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER
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. Alwes is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 15% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Alwes experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Alwes performed 456 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. Alwes receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Alwes received a total of $1,254 from 9 companies across 20 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. Alwes's costs compare to other optometrists in Rancho Mirage?
Dr. Alwes's average Medicare payment per service is $60. 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. Alwes) 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.

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 →