Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Jo-Lawrence Bigcas, M.D.

Otolaryngology · San Diego, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
200 W ARBOR DR, San Diego, CA 92103
8009268273
In practice since 2012 (13 years)
NPI: 1104171503 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. Bigcas 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. Bigcas? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Bigcas

Dr. Jo-Lawrence Bigcas is an otolaryngology specialist in San Diego, CA, with 13 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Bigcas performed 256 Medicare services across 197 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Bigcas received a total of $12,492 from 21 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 137 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in otolaryngology. 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. Bigcas 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.

✓ 13 years in practice ▲ 256 Medicare services $12,492 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
256
Medicare services
Bottom 24% in CA for otolaryngology
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
197
Unique beneficiaries
$81
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~20 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.
 85 $65 $200
Flexible laryngoscopy
A diagnostic exam of the voice box using a flexible endoscope to visualize the larynx.
 64 $93 $297
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.
 37 $35 $136
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.
 26 $95 $298
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.
 22 $123 $422
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.
 11 $75 $266
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 11 $176 $513
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 ↗
$12,492
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,785/year across 7 years
Top 7% in CA for otolaryngology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
21
Companies
137
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
$6,515 (52.2%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$5,977 (47.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$879
2023
$1,572
2022
$1,598
2021
$633
2020
$342
2019
$7,396
2018
$73

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Stryker Corporation
$227
Medtronic, Inc.
$205
KLS-Martin L.P.
$202
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$112
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$56
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$40
AXOGEN
$36
Top 3 companies account for 72.3% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$5,870
AXOGEN
$1,160
Acera Surgical, Inc.
$797
Stryker Corporation
$643
KLS-Martin L.P.
$537
Medtronic, Inc.
$470
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$393
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$380
OptiNose US, Inc.
$331
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$315
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$302
Aerin Medical Inc.
$270
Intersect ENT, Inc.
$262
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$245
Optinose US, Inc.
$157
Foundation Medicine, Inc.
$148
Acclarent, Inc
$122
PolyNovo North America LLC
$37
Hologic Sales and Service, LLC
$22
Olympus America Inc.
$20
Atos Medical Inc
$12
Top 3 companies account for 62.6% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCLARENT NAVWIRE SINUS NAVIGATION GUIDEWIRE · AMNIOEXCEL · Avance Nerve Graft · AxoGuard Nerve Connector · AxoGuard Nerve Protector · CUSTOMIZED MANDIBLE RECON · CoolSeal Generator · DUPIXENT · Da Vinci Surgical System · ENTELLUS - XPRESS ENT DILATION SYSTEM · FLEXITOUCH · FOUNDATIONONE · Flexitouch Plus · GRAFIX · INSPIRA AIR Balloon Dilation System · INTEGRA DUO · INTEGRA MESHED BILAYER WOUND MATRIX · Integra · LIBTAYO · N/A · NA · NIM VITAL · NUCALA · NUVENT · Olympus ENT Fiber Scopes · PICO · PROPEL · PTEYE PARATHYROID DETECTION SYSTEM · Provox Adhesives · Restrata Wound Matrix · SCOPIS ENT · SPIROX - LATERA · STRAVIX · Sinuva · TruDi NAV Cable · UNIVERSAL NEURO 2 · VSP CRANIAL · VSP SYSTEM · XPRESS LOPROFILE · Xhance
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 (52%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 7% for otolaryngology in CA.

Looking for an otolaryngology specialist in San Diego?
Compare otolaryngologists in the San Diego area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse otolaryngologists nearby

Geographic Context

Otolaryngologists within 10 mi
122
Per 100K population
3.7
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
UC SAN DIEGO HEALTH HILLCREST - HILLCREST MED CTR
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. Bigcas is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 7% of CA peers.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Bigcas experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Bigcas performed 85 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. Bigcas receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Bigcas received a total of $12,492 from 21 companies across 137 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. Bigcas's costs compare to other otolaryngologists in San Diego?
Dr. Bigcas's average Medicare payment per service is $81. 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. Bigcas) 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 →

Explore related providers

Same specialty & city
Otolaryngologists in San Diego
Browse otolaryngologists in San Diego ranked by procedure volume and transparency data.
Highest volume
Top Otolaryngologists in CA
Otolaryngologists ranked by total Medicare services performed statewide.
Industry payments
Pharma Payments to Otolaryngologists in CA
Which CA otolaryngologists receive the most from drug and device companies.
By company
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
By company
AXOGEN Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from AXOGEN.
By company
Acera Surgical, Inc. Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Acera Surgical, Inc.
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 →