Dr. Salvatore Pacella, M.D., M.B.A.
What this data tells you about Dr. Pacella
Dr. Salvatore Pacella is a plastic surgery specialist in San Diego, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Pacella performed 769 Medicare services across 730 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Pacella received a total of $497,910 from 22 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 337 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in plastic surgery. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Pacella 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 206 | $175 | $598 |
| Skin graft site preparation, face or scalp, 100 sq cm or less Preparation of the skin area on the face, scalp, or other specified body parts to receive a skin graft in infants and children. The area prepared is 100 square centimeters or 1% of the body surface area, whichever is less. |
160 | $341 | $1,549 |
| 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. |
100 | $147 | $492 |
| Skin graft repair of eyelid, nose, ear, or lip, 10 sq cm or less A surgical procedure to repair a wound on the eyelid, nose, ear, or lip by transferring a small piece of skin. The transferred skin covers an area of 10 square centimeters or less. |
57 | $636 | $2,964 |
| Skin graft repair, 30.1-60.0 sq cm A surgical procedure to repair a wound by transferring skin from one area to another. This code applies to grafts covering an area between 30.1 and 60.0 square centimeters. |
55 | $925 | $4,195 |
| Skin graft repair of eyelid, nose, ear, or lip, 10.1-30 sq cm This procedure involves repairing a wound on the eyelid, nose, ear, or lip by transferring skin from another area. The graft size covered is between 10.1 and 30.0 square centimeters. |
31 | $827 | $3,840 |
| Skin graft repair, 10.1-30 sq cm A surgical procedure to repair wounds on the forehead, cheeks, chin, mouth, neck, underarms, genitals, hands, or feet by transferring skin. The graft covers an area between 10.1 and 30.0 square centimeters. |
25 | $711 | $3,560 |
| Skin graft, each additional 30 sq cm This procedure involves transferring skin to repair a wound. The code applies to each additional 30 square centimeters of skin graft used beyond the initial amount. |
21 | $176 | $793 |
| Skin graft, 25 sq cm or less A procedure where healthy skin is taken from one area of the body and transplanted to a damaged area on the face, scalp, or other specified body parts. The graft covers an area of 25 square centimeters or less. |
19 | $362 | $3,050 |
| Permanent eyelid margin scarring A procedure to create permanent scarring along the edge of the eyelid. |
16 | $171 | $2,186 |
| 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. |
15 | $130 | $453 |
| Office visit for established patient An office visit for an existing patient that may not require the healthcare professional to be present. |
14 | $18 | $66 |
| 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. |
14 | $76 | $248 |
| Removal of ruptured breast implant and material This procedure involves the surgical removal of a ruptured breast implant along with any associated implant material. |
13 | $367 | $4,136 |
| Eyelid margin reconstruction Surgical repair to restore the structure and function of the eyelid margin. |
12 | $205 | $2,682 |
| Skin graft repair, 10 sq cm or less A surgical procedure to repair a wound by transferring a small piece of skin to the affected area. The graft covers wounds on the face, neck, hands, feet, or other specified body parts. |
11 | $570 | $2,941 |
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 ›
The majority of payments (74%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 0% for plastic surgery in CA.
Geographic Context
5.3 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. Pacella is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 19% in CA), with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 0% 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
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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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