Dr. Matthew Pifer, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Pifer
Dr. Matthew Pifer is an orthopedic surgery specialist in Santa Barbara, CA, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Pifer performed 2,553 Medicare services across 1,157 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Pifer received a total of $219,034 from 21 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 416 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopedic 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. Pifer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
1,262 | $1 | $39 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
276 | $51 | $268 |
| 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. |
247 | $93 | $413 |
| Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views An X-ray imaging test of the shoulder joint using at least two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures. |
210 | $27 | $131 |
| 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. |
142 | $112 | $619 |
| 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. |
83 | $133 | $554 |
| 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. |
63 | $66 | $286 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 43 | $169 | $781 |
| Knee X-ray, 4 or more views An imaging test using X-rays to create multiple pictures of the knee joint from different angles. |
40 | $38 | $173 |
| Arthroscopic shoulder debridement A minimally invasive procedure to remove damaged or excess tissue from the shoulder joint using a small camera and instruments inserted through tiny incisions. |
37 | $92 | $2,382 |
| Partial collarbone removal via endoscope This procedure involves the surgical removal of a portion of the collarbone (clavicle) using an endoscope, a small camera inserted through a tiny incision to guide the surgeon. |
36 | $216 | $2,563 |
| Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair A minimally invasive surgery to repair torn shoulder tendons using a small camera and instruments inserted through tiny incisions. |
33 | $849 | $4,034 |
| Arthroscopic shoulder synovectomy A minimally invasive procedure to remove part of the shoulder joint lining using a small camera and surgical instruments. |
27 | $44 | $2,037 |
| Total shoulder joint prosthetic repair Surgical replacement of the shoulder joint with a prosthetic device. This procedure involves removing damaged joint components and inserting artificial parts to restore function. |
19 | $1,136 | $5,453 |
| Shoulder scar tissue removal using endoscope A minimally invasive procedure to remove scar tissue from the shoulder joint using a small camera and surgical instruments inserted through tiny incisions. |
18 | $90 | $2,226 |
| Anchoring of biceps tendon | 17 | $299 | $2,823 |
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 (60%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 6% for orthopedic surgery in CA.
Geographic Context
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. Pifer is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 24% in CA), with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 6% of CA peers, with 17 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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