Medicare Enrolled
Dr. David Pires, D.O.
Anesthesiology · Santa Barbara, CA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice
— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
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. Pires 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Pires
Dr. David Pires is an anesthesiology specialist in Santa Barbara, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Pires performed 649 Medicare services across 603 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Pires received a total of $23,964 from 31 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 549 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in anesthesiology. 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. Pires 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 5% volume in CA
$23,964 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗649
Medicare services
Top 5% in CA for anesthesiology
603
Unique beneficiaries
$103
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a sacral spine nerve root. The procedure uses imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
109 | $101 | $2,587 |
| Injection of anesthetic or steroid into sacroiliac joint with imaging guidance This procedure involves injecting an anesthetic or steroid medication into the joint connecting the lower spine and hip bone. Imaging guidance is used to ensure accurate placement of the injection. |
76 | $80 | $2,816 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the lower or sacral spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
53 | $101 | $3,698 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging guidance An injection into a lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance for the second level treated. |
53 | $58 | $2,849 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint A procedure to destroy nerves in a single lower or sacral spinal facet joint using imaging guidance to target pain signals. |
44 | $217 | $3,682 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional lower or sacral spinal facet joint. |
41 | $67 | $2,829 |
| Spinal neurostimulator electrode insertion A procedure to place an electrode array into the spine through the skin. The electrode is used to deliver electrical stimulation to the nervous system. |
33 | $248 | $8,000 |
| Additional sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into an additional sacral spine nerve root level, guided by imaging. |
28 | $40 | $2,000 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the upper or middle spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
28 | $104 | $3,000 |
| 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. |
28 | $74 | $750 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging An injection into a second spinal facet joint in the upper or middle spine, guided by imaging to ensure accurate placement. |
24 | $60 | $2,542 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy the nerves supplying a single upper or middle spinal facet joint. It is performed to interrupt pain signals from that specific joint. |
21 | $173 | $2,952 |
| 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. |
21 | $125 | $950 |
| 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. |
20 | $140 | $800 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional upper or middle spinal facet joint. |
19 | $66 | $2,474 |
| Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement Use of real-time X-ray imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
19 | $22 | $400 |
| Spinal injection with imaging guidance A procedure where medication is injected into the middle or upper part of the spinal canal. Imaging technology is used to guide the needle to the correct location. |
16 | $87 | $2,000 |
| Injection into lower spine canal with imaging guidance A procedure where a substance is injected into the lower part of the spinal canal. The injection is performed using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
16 | $80 | $2,000 |
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 ↗$23,964
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $3,423/year across 7 years
Top 2% in CA for anesthesiology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
31
Companies
549
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
$21,510 (89.8%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$2,454 (10.2%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$2,013
2023
$2,653
2022
$2,422
2021
$2,324
2020
$4,109
2019
$2,789
2018
$7,654
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Nevro Corp.
$844
Abbott Laboratories
$650
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$448
PAINTEQ LLC
$36
ABBVIE INC.
$19
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$16
Top 3 companies account for 96.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Abbott Laboratories
$8,985
Nevro Corp.
$5,026
Nuvectra Corporation
$2,469
Vertiflex, Inc.
$1,506
Boston Scientific Corporation
$1,361
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$1,031
Surgalign Spine Technologies, Inc.
$695
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$448
Bioventus LLC
$407
Medtronic, Inc.
$344
PAINTEQ LLC
$330
Flowonix Medical Incorporated
$209
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$187
Sanara MedTech Inc.
$172
Foundation Fusion Solutions, LLC
$153
Team_Makena_LLC
$97
PFIZER INC.
$78
ABBVIE INC.
$68
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$63
SI-BONE, INC.
$46
Avanos Medical
$41
Allergan Inc.
$39
Allergan, Inc.
$35
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$34
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$25
SI-BONE, Inc.
$25
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$24
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$21
AbbVie Inc.
$16
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$16
BIODELIVERY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 68.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
10MM · ADAPTIVESTIM · AXIUM · Algovita · Axium INS DRG IPG · Axium Sheath Braided DRG · BELBUCA · BOTOX · BUNAVAIL 2.1 mg 30-count box · COFLEX INTERLAMINAR TECHNOLOGY · COOLIEF COOLED RADIOFREQUENCY · CellerateRx · ENTRADA · ETERNA · GELSYN 3 · GELSYN-3 · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL THERAPIES · INFINION · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · IONICRF · Intracept · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · LYRICA · Nalu Neurostimulation System · Neuromodulation Dspsbls and Accs · ORTHOVISC · Octrode SCS Leads · Omnia · PAINTEQ · PENTA · PROCLAIM · Pacel Bipolar Pacing Catheter · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · Prometra II · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER (REFURBISHED) · SPRINT PNS System · SUPERION · SWIFT-LOCK · SYNCHROMED · SYNCHROMEDII · Senza · Senza II · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Supartz FX Sodium Hyaluronate · Supartz Fx Sodium Hyaluronate · Superion · Superion ISS · TARGETSTIM · UBRELVY · WAVEWRITER ALPHA · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH · mild Device Kit
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 (90%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for anesthesiology in CA.
Geographic Context
Anesthesiologists within 10 mi
66
Per 100K population
14.9
County median income
$95,977
Nearest hospital
SANTA BARBARA COTTAGE HOSPITAL
0.0 mi
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. Pires is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 5% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 2% 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
Is Dr. Pires experienced with sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Pires performed 109 sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance 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. Pires receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Pires received a total of $23,964 from 31 companies across 549 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. Pires's costs compare to other anesthesiologists in Santa Barbara?
Dr. Pires's average Medicare payment per service is $103. 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. Pires) 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.
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