Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Efren Buitrago, M.D.

Surgery · Doral, FL
Practice pattern: Cardiac Surgery— Surgically focused practice
Low-engagement
3650 NW 82ND AVE, Doral, FL 33166
3054063596
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1134320880 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. Buitrago 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. Buitrago

Dr. Efren Buitrago is a surgery in Doral, FL, with 18 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Buitrago performed 92 Medicare services across 72 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Buitrago received a total of $15,283 from 30 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 130 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in 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. Buitrago is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. This is not a quality rating. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 18 years in practice▲ 92 Medicare services$ $15,283 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
92
Medicare services
Bottom 21% in FL for surgery
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
72
Unique beneficiaries
$198
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~5 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.

ProcedureVolumeAvg. paidAvg. submitted
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity38$69$240
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity24$115$456
Replacement of aortic valve through the skin and femoral artery16$739$5,284
Initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes14$75$344
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.
17.4% high complexity
0.0% medium
82.6% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$15,283
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $2,183/year across 7 years
Top 18% in FL for surgery
30
Companies
130
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
$11,363 (74.3%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$3,921 (25.7%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,033
2023
$1,828
2022
$1,614
2021
$1,762
2020
$1,167
2019
$3,021
2018
$4,859

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Endologix, Inc.
$3,921
BIOTRONIK INC.
$3,352
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$1,769
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$1,149
Endologix LLC
$882
Cook Incorporated
$674
Bolton Medical Inc
$539
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$473
Dilon Technologies, Inc.
$421
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$384
Abbott Laboratories
$376
Cook Medical LLC
$277
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$251
Mallinckrodt LLC
$122
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$108
Lexington Medical, Inc.
$92
Davol Inc.
$73
Boston Scientific Corporation
$73
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$52
Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
$50
Molnlycke Health Care US, LLC
$45
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$33
Medtronic, Inc.
$28
DAVOL INC.
$26
Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
$24
Maquet Cardiovascular U.S. Sales, L.L.C.
$20
PFIZER INC.
$20
Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC
$17
ATRICURE, INC.
$17
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company
$15
Top 3 companies account for 59.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AFX · AFX2 Bifurcated Endograft System · ANGIOJET · ARISTA AH FLEXITIP · ATRICURE CRYOICE CRYOSPHERE CRYOABLATION SYSTEM · Acticor · Acticor 7 VR-T DX · Aeon Endostapler & Echelon Flex Powered Stapler · Alto Abdominal Stent Graft System · BIOMONITOR · Biogel M · CHANTIX · CLOSUREFAST · COOK MEDICAL AAA · COOK MEDICAL ADVANCED TECH · CROSSER · Connectivity and Remote care · ELUVIA · EPIC · EXALT Model D · Edora · Edora 8 DR-T · Endurant · GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION · GIAPREZA · GORE TAG Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis · GORE TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · Grafts · HEMOBLAST BELLOWS · Heartstring · INSPIRIS RESILIA AORTIC VALVE · LifeVest · NAVITOR · OFIRMEV · Ovation · PROGEL · Peripheral Orbital Atherectomy System · Progel · RELAY THORACIC STENT-GRAFT WITH PLUS DELIVERY SYSTEM · Relay Grafts · Rivacor · Rivacor 7 DR-T · Solia · SternaLock Blu · TISSEEL · TREO ABDOMINAL STENT-GRAFT SYSTEM · VIABAHN VBX Balloon Expandable Endoprosthesis · Valiant Navion · XARELTO
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 (74%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $16,612 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a surgery in Doral?
Compare surgerys in the Doral area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Surgerys within 10 mi
410
Per 100K population
15.3
County median income
$68,694
Nearest hospital
LARKIN COMMUNITY HOSPITAL PALM SPRINGS CAMPUS
2.9 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/A

This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Buitrago is a cardiac surgery specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 18%), with 18 years of practice experience.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Buitrago experienced with hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Buitrago performed 38 hospital follow-up visit, 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. Buitrago receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Buitrago received a total of $15,283 from 30 companies across 130 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. Buitrago's costs compare to other surgerys in Doral?
Dr. Buitrago's average Medicare payment per service is $198. 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. Buitrago) 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. The Transparency Score measures 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 →