Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Alister George, M.D.

Optician · Thousand Oaks, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
3510 N. MOORPARK RD, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
8054924800
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1821280629 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. George 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. George? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. George

Dr. Alister George is an optician specialist in Thousand Oaks, CA, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. George performed 2,353 Medicare services across 1,865 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. George received a total of $4,155 from 38 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 200 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optician. 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. George 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.

✓ 18 years in practice ▲ Top 33% volume in CA $4,155 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,353
Medicare services
Top 33% in CA for optician
1,865
Unique beneficiaries
$105
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~131 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 (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.
573 $99 $600
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service.
471 $65 $360
Upper GI endoscopy with biopsy
A procedure to collect tissue samples from the esophagus, stomach, or upper small intestine using a flexible tube with a camera. The samples are examined to check for abnormalities.
288 $86 $618
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.
184 $124 $780
Colonoscopy with biopsy
A procedure to collect tissue samples from the large intestine using a flexible tube with a camera. The samples are examined to check for abnormalities or disease.
175 $113 $878
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity
Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
133 $98 $540
Colon polyp removal with endoscopic snare
This procedure removes polyps or growths from the large bowel using a flexible tube with a camera and a wire loop tool. The snare is used to cut off the growths during the examination.
117 $215 $1,116
Initial hospital admission, high complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
112 $142 $780
Colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening, high risk
A colonoscopy performed to screen for colorectal cancer in individuals identified as being at high risk for the disease.
51 $183 $812
Colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening
A colonoscopy performed to screen for colorectal cancer in individuals who are not at high risk for the disease.
50 $177 $820
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.
41 $61 $440
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.
36 $107 $580
Upper endoscopy (EGD)
A diagnostic exam of the esophagus, stomach, and upper small bowel using a flexible endoscope.
30 $96 $560
Colonoscopy
A diagnostic exam of the large bowel using a flexible endoscope to visualize the interior of the colon.
28 $136 $820
Endoscopic insertion of stomach tube
A flexible endoscope is used to guide the placement of a tube into the stomach.
23 $153 $871
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.
23 $64 $540
Balloon dilation of esophagus, stomach, or upper small bowel, less than 3.0 cm
A procedure using a flexible endoscope to widen a narrowed section of the esophagus, stomach, or upper small bowel with a balloon that is less than 3.0 cm in length.
18 $103 $680
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 ↗
$4,155
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $594/year across 7 years
Top 26% in CA for optician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
38
Companies
200
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
$4,155 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,069
2023
$744
2022
$914
2021
$669
2020
$229
2019
$256
2018
$276

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$204
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$184
ABBVIE INC.
$150
QOL Medical, LLC
$116
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$94
PFIZER INC.
$90
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals
$46
AIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
$43
GENZYME CORPORATION
$37
Novo Nordisk Inc
$34
Ardelyx, Inc.
$32
VIVUS LLC
$22
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 50.3% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
ABBVIE INC.
$652
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$411
AbbVie Inc.
$406
PFIZER INC.
$364
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$334
QOL Medical, LLC
$192
GENZYME CORPORATION
$175
AbbVie, Inc.
$169
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$154
Braintree Laboratories, Inc.
$110
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$100
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$94
Evoke Pharma, Inc.
$88
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$75
Allergan Inc.
$75
Concordia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$72
AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$72
Nestle HealthCare Nutrition Inc.
$62
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$57
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals
$46
AIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
$43
VIVUS LLC
$42
Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$35
Novo Nordisk Inc
$34
Ardelyx, Inc.
$32
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$27
UCB, Inc.
$25
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$24
EVOKE PHARMA, INC.
$23
CONMED Corporation
$22
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$21
Lucid Diagnostics Inc.
$18
Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc
$18
INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$18
Shire North American Group Inc
$18
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$17
Boston Scientific Corporation
$16
IRONWOOD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
$15
Top 3 companies account for 35.4% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
CONMED HEMOSTASIS · CREON · Cimzia · Creon · DONNATAL · DUPIXENT · Donnatal · ELIQUIS · ENTERRA · FERAHEME · GATTEX · GENERAL ENDOCHOICE · GENERAL STRUCTURAL HEART · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GIMOTI · Humira · IBSRELA · INFLECTRA · KEYTRUDA · LINZESS · Linzess · Mavyret · Movantik · OCALIVA · PANCREAZE · REBYOTA · REMICADE · RESMETIROM · STELARA · SUCRAID · SUFLAVE · SUTAB · Sucraid · TREMFYA · Talicia · Trulance · VIBERZI · VOQUEZNA · VOWST · Wegovy · XELJANZ · XIFAXAN · XIFAXANIBSD · ZENPEP
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 an optician specialist in Thousand Oaks?
Compare opticians in the Thousand Oaks area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Opticians within 10 mi
379
Per 100K population
45.2
County median income
$107,327
Nearest hospital
LOS ROBLES HOSPITAL & 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. George is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 18 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. George experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. George performed 573 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. George receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. George received a total of $4,155 from 38 companies across 200 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. George's costs compare to other opticians in Thousand Oaks?
Dr. George's average Medicare payment per service is $105. 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. George) 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 →