Medicare Enrolled

Dr. George Counelis, MD

Neurological Surgery · Walnut Creek, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
100 N. WIGET LANE, Walnut Creek, CA 94598
9252808200
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1437261534 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. Counelis 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. Counelis

Dr. George Counelis is a neurological surgery specialist in Walnut Creek, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Counelis performed 262 Medicare services across 221 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Counelis received a total of $9,468 from 7 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 185 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. Counelis 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 ▲ Top 47% volume in CA $9,468 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
262
Medicare services
Top 47% in CA for neurological surgery
221
Unique beneficiaries
$123
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~14 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
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.
59 $112 $559
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.
56 $166 $634
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.
55 $70 $301
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.
29 $152 $826
Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an established patient with straightforward or low-level medical decision making. The visit requires at least 25 minutes of time spent on the day of service.
24 $43 $163
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, each additional segment
This procedure involves the partial removal of spinal bone to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. It is billed for each additional spinal segment treated beyond the initial segment.
21 $173 $1,259
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 18 $193 $893
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 ↗
$9,468
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,353/year across 7 years
Top 34% in CA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
7
Companies
185
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
$9,468 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$519
2023
$188
2022
$2,961
2021
$3,531
2020
$160
2019
$1,514
2018
$595

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Globus Medical, Inc.
$519
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$5,450
Globus Medical, Inc.
$3,327
Zap Surgical Systems, Inc.
$356
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$166
Bioventus LLC
$102
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$54
Medtronic, Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 96.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACDF Retractor · ALTERA · Battalion PLIF - PS · CALIBER · COALITION · COALITION AGX · COALITION AGX / AGX RP · COALITION MIS · CREO · CREO 5.5 · CREO Degen · CREO MCS · CREO ONE Robotic Screw · CREO Threaded · Colonial / Colonial TPS · ELLIPSE · ELSA · ELSA AL/ATP · EXCELSIUS GPS · Excelsius - GPS · Excelsius Deformity · Excelsius Robotics System · ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Navigation System · HEDRON · INDEPENDENCE AGX · IdentiTi · Independence · Invictus OPEN · KINEX · LATERAL LUMBAR DISC · LIF · MARS 3V · MARS 3V/3VL · Mazor X Stealth Edition · Novel · OsteoAMP · Other - Miscellaneous · QUARTEX · RISE · RISE Intra LIF · RISE-L . RISE-L A/L · SABLE · SIGNATURE · SIGNIFY · SILC · Spine · StealthStation · VIPER · VISUALASE · XEMPLIFI · ZAP-X MV IMAGER · Zap-X
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 Walnut Creek?
Compare neurological surgerists in the Walnut Creek area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurological surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
48
Per 100K population
4.1
County median income
$125,727
Nearest hospital
JOHN MUIR MEDICAL CENTER - WALNUT CREEK CAMPUS
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. Counelis is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Counelis experienced with initial hospital admission, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Counelis performed 59 initial hospital admission, moderate complexity 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. Counelis receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Counelis received a total of $9,468 from 7 companies across 185 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. Counelis's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Walnut Creek?
Dr. Counelis's average Medicare payment per service is $123. 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. Counelis) 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 →