Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Nicholas Slimack, MD

Neurological Surgery · Santa Maria, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
300 SOUTH STRATFORD AVENUE, Santa Maria, CA 93454
8057393863
In practice since 2010 (15 years)
NPI: 1265743884 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. Slimack 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. Slimack

Dr. Nicholas Slimack is a neurological surgery specialist in Santa Maria, CA, with 15 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Slimack performed 382 Medicare services across 313 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Slimack received a total of $1,960 from 12 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 48 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. 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. Slimack 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.

✓ 15 years in practice ▲ Top 36% volume in CA $1,960 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
382
Medicare services
Top 36% in CA for neurological surgery
313
Unique beneficiaries
$200
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~25 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 (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.
164 $43 $118
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.
78 $84 $281
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.
33 $70 $193
Spine fusion with cage or mesh device insertion
A surgical procedure to fuse spine bones by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space.
20 $207 $528
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.
17 $69 $210
Lower back spinal fusion with bone and disc removal
A surgical procedure to fuse vertebrae in the lower back. It involves removing part of the spine bone and a disc to stabilize the area.
16 $1,459 $4,058
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
16 $102 $285
Skull bone removal for brain blood aspiration
A surgical procedure involving the removal of a portion of the skull bone to access and drain a blood accumulation located in the upper brain, either outside or below the brain membrane.
14 $1,594 $4,212
Placement of stabilizing device to back of 1 spine bone in neck
A procedure involving the placement of a stabilizing device on the back of a single vertebra in the neck.
12 $610 $1,556
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.
12 $53 $163
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.
9.4% high complexity
0.0% medium
90.6% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$1,960
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $280/year across 7 years
Bottom 43% in CA for neurological surgery
12
Companies
48
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
$1,960 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$92
2023
$189
2022
$131
2021
$24
2020
$94
2019
$568
2018
$863

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic, Inc.
$92
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$1,264
Medtronic, Inc.
$291
Stryker Corporation
$128
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$62
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$38
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$37
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$28
Invuity, Inc.
$27
Bioventus LLC
$25
Surgalign Spine Technologies, Inc.
$24
Ethicon US, LLC
$22
SI-BONE, Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 85.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
10MM · ADHERUS AUTOSPRAY DURAL SEALANT · ARTiC-L · CODMAN CERTAS · COFLEX INTERLAMINAR TECHNOLOGY · ELEVATE · FLOSEAL · INFINITY OCT System · IVS - AVA · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · MAZOR X SYSTEM · MEDTRONIC REUSABLE INSTRUMENTS · NEURO · NEURO FIXATION · O-ARM-Spine · PIVOX Oblique Lateral Spinal System · PRESTIGE · Photonblade · Physio-Stim Osteogenesis Stimulator · RIALTO · STRATA · SURGICEL Family of Absorbable Hemostats · SYNCHROMED · SYNTHECEL · Supartz · UNIVERSAL NEURO 3 · ZEVO ANTERIOR CERVICAL PLATE 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 →

Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in Santa Maria?
Compare neurological surgerists in the Santa Maria area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurological surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
5
Per 100K population
1.1
County median income
$95,977
Nearest hospital
MARIAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
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. Slimack is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 15 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. Slimack experienced with office visit, established patient (10-19 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Slimack performed 164 office visit, established patient (10-19 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. Slimack receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Slimack received a total of $1,960 from 12 companies across 48 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. Slimack's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Santa Maria?
Dr. Slimack's average Medicare payment per service is $200. 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. Slimack) 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 →