Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Aarron Flowers

Podiatrist · Santa Cruz, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
2907 CHANTICLEER AVE, Santa Cruz, CA 95065
8314772325
In practice since 2015 (10 years)
NPI: 1144607466 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. Flowers 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. Flowers

Dr. Aarron Flowers is a podiatrist in Santa Cruz, CA, with 10 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Flowers performed 1,460 Medicare services across 943 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Flowers received a total of $11,388 from 11 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 81 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in podiatrist. 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. Flowers 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.

✓ 10 years in practice ▲ Top 44% volume in CA $11,388 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,460
Medicare services
Top 44% in CA for podiatrist
943
Unique beneficiaries
$76
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~146 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
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.
620 $73 $247
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.
152 $83 $365
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.
137 $105 $364
Skin and tissue removal, 20 sq cm or less
This procedure involves the surgical excision of skin and underlying tissue from an area measuring 20 square centimeters or smaller.
123 $113 $362
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)
A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered.
78 $1 $7
Removal of thickened skin growths, 2-4
This procedure involves the removal of two to four benign, thickened skin growths. It is a minor surgical intervention to eliminate non-cancerous skin lesions.
51 $72 $253
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.
51 $143 $554
Joint fluid aspiration or injection, small joint
Removal of fluid from a small joint or injection of medication into a small joint.
48 $33 $176
Permanent removal fingernail or toenail 42 $128 $892
Prolonged office E/M service, first 15 minutes
This code is used for additional time spent by a physician beyond the maximum required time of a primary office or outpatient evaluation and management service. It is billed in 15-minute increments based on total time spent on the date of the primary service.
34 $27 $130
Trimming of dystrophic nails
Trimming of dystrophic nails, any number
22 $14 $98
Adult fiberglass short leg cast supplies
Materials used to apply a fiberglass cast to the lower leg for an adult patient.
20 $38 $116
Removal of noncancer thickened skin growth, 1 growth
This procedure involves the removal of a single benign, thickened skin growth. It is a minor surgical intervention to eliminate the lesion.
18 $61 $202
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.
18 $140 $489
Simple separation of fingernail or toenail from nail bed, first nail
A procedure to separate the first fingernail or toenail from the underlying nail bed.
16 $106 $423
Adult fiberglass short leg splint supplies
Materials for a fiberglass splint applied to the lower leg in patients aged 11 and older.
16 $17 $54
Imaging guidance for procedure, 60 minutes or less
Use of imaging technology to guide a medical procedure. This service lasts 60 minutes or less.
14 $13 $69
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 ↗
$11,388
Total received (2019-2024)
Avg $1,898/year across 6 years
Top 6% in CA for podiatrist
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
11
Companies
81
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$7,039 (61.8%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$4,349 (38.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$517
2023
$307
2022
$132
2021
$889
2020
$1,310
2019
$8,233

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$175
Stryker Corporation
$171
Paragon 28, Inc.
$149
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$23
Top 3 companies account for 95.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2019-2024) ›
EVOLUTION SURGICAL, INC
$3,472
Arthrex, Inc.
$2,957
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$1,144
Stryker Corporation
$1,124
Paragon 28, Inc.
$681
Wright Medical Technology, Inc.
$672
Evolution Surgical, Inc
$610
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$273
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$251
CROSSROADS EXTREMITY SYSTEMS, LLC
$155
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$49
Top 3 companies account for 66.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AUGMENT INJECTABLE · Additive Orthopedics · Ankle Fracture · BIOSKIN · Bone Screws · FIXOS · GALAXY Fixation · HAMMERLOCK · INFINITY · Lapidus Plate · MOTOBAND · ORTHOLOC 2 LAPIFUSE · PROPHECY · PROSTEP · PROSTEP MICA · Stratum Foot Plating System · TL-HEX · Trauma · TrueLok Ring Fixation System
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 (62%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in podiatrist and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 6% for podiatrist in CA.

Looking for a podiatrist in Santa Cruz?
Compare podiatrists in the Santa Cruz area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse podiatrists nearby

Geographic Context

Podiatrists within 10 mi
60
Per 100K population
22.6
County median income
$109,266
Nearest hospital
DOMINICAN HOSPITAL
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. Flowers is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 6% of CA peers.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Flowers experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Flowers performed 620 office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 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. Flowers receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Flowers received a total of $11,388 from 11 companies across 81 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. Flowers's costs compare to other podiatrists in Santa Cruz?
Dr. Flowers's average Medicare payment per service is $76. 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. Flowers) 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 →