Dr. Benjamin Howard, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Howard
Dr. Benjamin Howard is a student in an organized health care education/training program specialist in San Francisco, CA, with 16 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Howard performed 611 Medicare services across 513 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Howard received a total of $20,090 from 5 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 55 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in student in an organized health care education/training program. 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. Howard 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 (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. |
142 | $84 | $349 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service. |
140 | $64 | $189 |
| Initial hospital admission, low complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving straightforward or low-level medical decision making, with at least 40 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
88 | $66 | $264 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck soft tissue This procedure uses sound waves to create images of the soft tissues in the head and neck area. It allows for the visualization of structures beneath the skin without using radiation. |
76 | $23 | $76 |
| Parathyroid gland removal or exploration A surgical procedure to remove or examine the parathyroid glands. |
53 | $770 | $3,207 |
| 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. |
25 | $77 | $249 |
| Groin hernia repair, age 5 or older Surgical repair of a hernia in the groin area for patients aged 5 years or older. |
21 | $415 | $1,446 |
| 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. |
21 | $37 | $155 |
| Office visit for established patient An office visit for an existing patient that may not require the healthcare professional to be present. |
17 | $19 | $65 |
| Thyroid lobe removal Surgical removal of one lobe of the thyroid gland located on one side of the neck. |
15 | $508 | $2,331 |
| New patient office visit, 15-29 minutes An initial office visit for a new patient lasting 15 to 29 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter meets this duration threshold. |
13 | $52 | $207 |
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 (98%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in student in an organized health care education/training program and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for student in an organized health care education/training program in CA.
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. Howard is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 2% of CA peers, with 16 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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