Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Robert Avery, M.D.

Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician · Santa Barbara, CA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Consulting-driven
525 E MICHELTORENA ST STE A, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
8059631648
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1700985496 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. Avery 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. Avery? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Avery

Dr. Robert Avery is a retina specialist physician in Santa Barbara, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Avery performed 4,865 Medicare services across 1,469 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Avery received a total of $170,858 from 38 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 307 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician. 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. Avery 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 ▲ 4,865 Medicare services $170,858 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
4,865
Medicare services
Bottom 49% in CA for retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician
1,469
Unique beneficiaries
$122
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~256 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
Eye injection (Vabysmo/faricimab)
An injection of faricimab-svoa, a medication administered in 0.1 mg doses.
2,100 $29 $70
Ranibizumab-eqrn injection, 0.1 mg
An injection of the biosimilar medication ranibizumab-eqrn (Cimerli) in a 0.1 mg dose.
552 $218 $800
Retinal imaging (OCT scan)
This procedure involves imaging the retina to visualize its structure. It is used to examine the back of the eye.
498 $34 $125
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient
A comprehensive examination of the visual system performed for a patient who has previously been seen by the provider.
408 $102 $175
Retinal photography (fundus photo)
This procedure involves taking photographs of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It is used to document the condition of the eye's interior structures.
342 $29 $95
Eye injection for retinal disease
A procedure involving the administration of medication directly into the eye.
300 $110 $945
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.
132 $83 $170
Unclassified drug
A medication that does not fit into standard HCPCS or CPT classification categories.
116 $1,705 $4,216
Aflibercept eye injection (Eylea) 110 $687 $1,250
Eye exam, established patient, focused
A limited examination of the visual system for an existing patient. The provider focuses on a specific eye-related concern or symptom.
106 $79 $125
Retinal angiography with dye injection
This procedure uses a special camera to examine the blood vessels in the retina after a dye has been injected into the body.
51 $125 $175
Comprehensive eye exam, new patient
A comprehensive examination of the visual system performed for a new patient.
40 $122 $201
Extended exam of back of eye with optic nerve drawing
A detailed examination of the posterior section of the eye, including the optic nerve, with documentation through drawing.
37 $13 $200
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.
28 $124 $220
Optic nerve imaging (OCT scan)
Imaging of the optic nerve.
24 $28 $125
Extended eye exam with retinal drawing
A detailed examination of the back of the eye that includes creating a drawing of the retina.
21 $20 $200
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 ↗
$170,858
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $24,408/year across 7 years
Top 3% in CA for retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
38
Companies
307
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.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$86,654 (50.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$66,388 (38.9%)
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$9,283 (5.4%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$8,533 (5.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$13,823
2023
$28,167
2022
$69,465
2021
$18,062
2020
$10,712
2019
$20,126
2018
$10,502

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Genentech USA, Inc.
$10,775
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$1,440
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$311
ABBVIE INC.
$300
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$242
Harrow Eye, LLC
$148
Alcon Vision LLC
$142
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$134
Dompe US, Inc.
$111
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$104
Coherus Biosciences Inc.
$68
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
$33
Alimera Sciences, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 90.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Genentech USA, Inc.
$56,689
Genentech, Inc.
$27,787
Coherus Biosciences Inc.
$14,436
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$12,698
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
$10,963
Alcon Research LLC
$10,187
US Retina LLC
$9,283
Allergan Inc.
$4,436
ABBVIE INC.
$4,106
Allergan, Inc.
$3,625
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$3,234
F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG
$2,167
Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.
$2,142
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$1,947
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$1,555
Alcon Vision LLC
$1,274
AbbVie Inc.
$857
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$592
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$512
Alimera Sciences, Inc.
$332
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$272
Sight Sciences, Inc.
$240
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$237
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
$209
Biogen, Inc.
$150
Harrow Eye, LLC
$148
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$123
Alcon Laboratories Inc
$118
Dompe US, Inc.
$111
Dutch Ophthalmic, USA
$107
OPTOS, INC.
$91
Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.
$70
NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
$53
Glaukos Corporation
$31
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$23
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$22
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$20
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 57.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · AcrySof · BEOVU · BROMSITE · Cimerli · Constellation · DEXTENZA · DEXYCU · EVA · EYLEA · EYLEA AFLIBERCEPT INJECTION · EYLEA HD · EYP-1901 · IHEEZO · ILUVIEN · INVELTYS · Iluvien · Izervay · LUMIGAN · Lucentis · MIEBO · Monaco · NGENUITY · NUCALA · Non-Covered Product · OMNI · OXERVATE · OZURDEX · PanOptix · STAR S4 IR Excimer Laser System · Syfovre · TECNIS IOL · TYRVAYA · TearScience Lipiflow System · VABYSMO · VISUDYNE · VYZULTA · Vabysmo · XIPERE · YUTIQ · combined machine
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 →

The majority of payments (51%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 3% for retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician in CA.

Looking for a retina specialist physician in Santa Barbara?
Compare retina specialist physicians in the Santa Barbara area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Retina specialist physicians within 10 mi
3
Per 100K population
0.7
County median income
$95,977
Nearest hospital
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY PSYCHIATRIC HEALTH FACILITY
5.0 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. Avery is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 3% 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. Avery experienced with eye injection (vabysmo/faricimab)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Avery performed 2,100 eye injection (vabysmo/faricimab) 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. Avery receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Avery received a total of $170,858 from 38 companies across 307 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. Avery's costs compare to other retina specialist physicians in Santa Barbara?
Dr. Avery's average Medicare payment per service is $122. 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. Avery) 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 →
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 →