Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Joseph Ford, D.O.
Urology Physician · Visalia, CA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice
— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
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. Ford 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. Ford
Dr. Joseph Ford is an urology physician in Visalia, CA, with 13 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ford performed 12,287 Medicare services across 2,128 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ford received a total of $11,529 from 70 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 322 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urology physician. 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. Ford 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.
✓ 13 years in practice
▲ Top 10% volume in CA
$11,529 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗12,287
Medicare services
Top 10% in CA for urology physician
2,128
Unique beneficiaries
$44
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~945 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botox injection, per unit An injection of onabotulinumtoxinA, a medication used to temporarily relax muscles or reduce gland activity. The dose is measured in units, with this code representing a single unit administered. |
8,800 | $5 | $7 |
| 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. |
760 | $128 | $186 |
| Ceftriaxone antibiotic injection This code represents the administration of ceftriaxone sodium, an antibiotic medication. The charge is calculated for every 250 mg of the drug administered. |
288 | $0 | $6 |
| Limited ultrasound of pelvis A focused ultrasound exam of the pelvic area to evaluate specific structures. This procedure provides images of the pelvis to assist in medical assessment. |
271 | $40 | $51 |
| Electronic assessment of bladder emptying A test that uses electronic monitoring to evaluate how well the bladder empties urine. |
266 | $6 | $15 |
| Non-needle muscle activity measurement of bladder and bowel openings This procedure measures and records the electrical activity of muscles at the bladder and bowel openings without using needles. |
257 | $27 | $68 |
| Complex urodynamic pressure flow study A test that measures the pressure of urine flow in the bladder during voiding to evaluate how well the bladder and urethra are functioning. |
256 | $298 | $391 |
| 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. |
249 | $91 | $144 |
| Injection, garamycin, gentamicin, up to 80 mg | 234 | $2 | $3 |
| Additional urethral implant in prostate Placement of an additional implant into the urethra within the prostate gland using an endoscope. |
188 | $706 | $1,039 |
| Leuprolide acetate (for depot suspension), 7.5 mg | 167 | $135 | $188 |
| Cystourethroscopy A diagnostic exam of the bladder and urethra using an endoscope to visually inspect the urinary tract. |
131 | $169 | $258 |
| Subcutaneous or intramuscular chemotherapy injection This procedure involves administering anti-cancer hormonal medication through an injection into the tissue under the skin or into a muscle. |
47 | $27 | $35 |
| Bladder irrigation and/or instillation This procedure involves flushing the bladder with fluid to clear it or introducing medication directly into the bladder. |
42 | $34 | $79 |
| Cystoscopy with chemical ablation of bladder A procedure where a camera is used to examine the bladder and a chemical agent is applied to destroy abnormal tissue. |
41 | $318 | $403 |
| Urethral implant insertion in prostate A single implant is placed into the urethra within the prostate gland using an endoscope. |
38 | $1,028 | $1,480 |
| Transrectal ultrasound of the pelvis An ultrasound imaging procedure where a probe is inserted into the rectum to visualize pelvic structures. |
30 | $117 | $214 |
| Endoscopic removal of foreign body, stone, or stent from urethra or bladder A procedure to remove a foreign object, stone, or stent from the urethra or bladder using an endoscope. The endoscope is a thin tube with a camera inserted into the urinary tract to locate and extract the item. |
27 | $254 | $330 |
| Ureteral stone crushing with stent insertion An endoscope is used to break up a stone in the ureter, followed by the placement of a stent to keep the ureter open. |
24 | $315 | $410 |
| Imaging of urinary tract with contrast An imaging test of the urinary tract performed after a contrast agent is injected to enhance visibility of the structures. |
23 | $18 | $94 |
| 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. |
22 | $43 | $58 |
| Prostate gland biopsy A procedure to remove small samples of tissue from the prostate gland for laboratory examination. |
21 | $195 | $266 |
| 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. |
20 | $65 | $82 |
| Surgical removal of prostate and lymph nodes This procedure involves the surgical removal of the prostate gland and surrounding lymph nodes using an endoscope. |
15 | $890 | $1,168 |
| Bladder instillation of anti-cancer drug A procedure where an anti-cancer medication is introduced directly into the bladder. This method delivers the treatment locally to the bladder tissue. |
14 | $17 | $90 |
| Bladder tumor removal via endoscope This procedure involves using an endoscope to destroy or remove a large growth from the bladder. |
14 | $300 | $378 |
| Urethral dilation using endoscope A procedure to widen the urethra using a thin, lighted tube called an endoscope. This helps to open a narrowed urethral passage. |
14 | $248 | $418 |
| Ureteral stent insertion via endoscope A flexible tube is inserted into the ureter using an endoscope to keep the passage open and allow urine to flow from the kidney to the bladder. |
14 | $89 | $420 |
| 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. |
14 | $102 | $129 |
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.
0.9% high complexity
79.1% medium
20.1% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$11,529
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,647/year across 7 years
Top 18% in CA for urology physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
70
Companies
322
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
$6,319 (54.8%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$5,210 (45.2%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$771
2023
$5,245
2022
$1,542
2021
$1,103
2020
$1,709
2019
$984
2018
$175
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$104
Agiliti Surgical, Inc.
$91
Teleflex LLC
$91
UROGEN PHARMA, INC.
$71
PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation
$65
ABBVIE INC.
$59
Boston Scientific Corporation
$52
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$41
Laborie Medical Technologies Corp.
$40
Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc.
$39
ConvaTec Inc.
$28
Telix Pharmaceuticals
$28
KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America
$22
Becton, Dickinson and Company
$21
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$17
Top 3 companies account for 37.2% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$5,444
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$1,473
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$601
Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc.
$371
Boston Scientific Corporation
$272
Teleflex LLC
$223
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$223
Dornier MedTech America, Inc
$210
ABBVIE INC.
$161
PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation
$161
Coloplast Corp
$120
PFIZER INC.
$117
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$113
180 Medical, Inc.
$98
NeoTract Inc.
$95
UROGEN PHARMA, INC.
$92
Agiliti Surgical, Inc.
$91
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$81
Telix Pharmaceuticals
$78
Laborie Medical Technologies Corp.
$70
Travere Therapeutics, Inc.
$65
Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
$57
Photocure Inc
$57
Allergan, Inc.
$57
Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC
$53
COLOPLAST CORP
$51
UroGen Pharma, Inc.
$51
Allergan Inc.
$45
AbbVie Inc.
$44
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$44
UCB, Inc.
$43
Blue Earth Diagnostics Limited
$42
Amgen Inc.
$40
Axonics, Inc.
$40
Myovant Sciences Inc.
$37
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$36
KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America
$36
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$35
C. R. Bard, Inc. & Subsidiaries
$33
ConvaTec Inc.
$28
Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$27
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$26
Medtronic, Inc.
$25
Ambu Inc.
$24
Olympus America Inc.
$24
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$23
Tolmar, Inc.
$22
Becton, Dickinson and Company
$21
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$21
Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$20
Cook Medical LLC
$20
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$19
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$19
AQUESTIVE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
$18
Sagent Pharmaceuticals
$18
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$18
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$18
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$17
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$17
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc
$15
AbbVie, Inc.
$15
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
MEDIVATION FIELD SOLUTIONS LLC
$14
UROVANT SCIENCES INC
$14
Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
SRS Medical Systems, Inc.
$14
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc
$13
CONMED Corporation
$13
Lilly USA, LLC
$11
Retrophin, Inc.
$7
Top 3 companies account for 65.2% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(815) Thiola · AFINITOR · AIRSEAL · ALTIS · AMS 700 · AQUABEAM ROBOTIC SYSTEM · AQUABEAM SYSTEM · ARISTA AH FlexiTip · Aimovig · Axonics · Axumin · BOTOX · Briviact · CURE CATHETER · Cook · Cysview · DA VINCI SP · Da Vinci Surgical System · Dornier MedTech · EDEX · ELIGARD · EMGALITY · ERLEADA · Erleada · Exparel · FIRMAGON · GEMTESA · GENERAL BPH · GENERAL KIDNEY STONE DISEASE · GENERAL ONCOLOGY · GENERAL DBS · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL - ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION · GENTLECATH · GENTLECATH GLIDE · General - Erectile Dysfunction · GentleCath · Glydo · HOPKINS · ILLUCCIX · INBRIJA · INTERSTIM · INTERSTIM ICON · JARDIANCE · JELMYTO · KEYTRUDA · LUPRON DEPOT · LYNPARZA · Lupron · MYRBETRIQ · Myrbetriq · NANOKNIFE · NUEDEXTA · NUPLAZID · Neupro · Nubeqa · ORGOVYX · OXLUMO · Optilume BPH Drug Coated Balloon Catheter · PREMARIN · PROLARIS · PROVENGE · Porges Coloplast · Prolaris · REZUM · Rezum Generator · SOLYX · SYMPAZAN · Seglentis · Solyx SIS System · Sonablate HIFU · SpaceOAR VUE System - 10mL · SpeediCath · TEGSEDI · TITAN · TOVIAZ · Thiola · Titan · Trelstar · UPSYLON · UROLIFT · Upsylon · UroCuff · UroLift · UroLift System · Veozah · XIAFLEX · XTANDI · Xtandi · iTIND System · n.a.
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 (55%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
Urology physicians within 10 mi
7
Per 100K population
1.5
County median income
$69,489
Nearest hospital
KAWEAH HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 mi
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. Ford is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 10% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 18% of CA peers.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Ford experienced with botox injection, per unit?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ford performed 8,800 botox injection, per unit 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. Ford receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ford received a total of $11,529 from 70 companies across 322 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. Ford's costs compare to other urology physicians in Visalia?
Dr. Ford's average Medicare payment per service is $44. 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. Ford) 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 →
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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.
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