Medicare Enrolled

Dr. David Merkle, P.A.

Surgical Physician Assistant · Fort Myers, FL
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
14601 HOPE CENTER LOOP, Fort Myers, FL 33912
2393347000
In practice since 2018 (7 years)
NPI: 1144704800 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. Merkle 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. Merkle

Dr. David Merkle is a surgical physician assistant in Fort Myers, FL, with 7 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Merkle performed 106 Medicare services across 102 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Merkle received a total of $5,341 from 25 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 81 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in surgical physician assistant. 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. Merkle 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.

✓ 7 years in practice ▲ 106 Medicare services $5,341 industry payments

Florida License Status

FL DOH · MQA
1
Active license
None
Board action on record
0
Recent admin complaints
Profession License # Status Expires Board Action
Physician Assistant 9111604 Clear January 31, 2028 —
Data from Florida Department of Health Medical Quality Assurance. License records are public under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. Verify directly on FL DOH →

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
106
Medicare services
Bottom 39% in FL for surgical physician assistant
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
102
Unique beneficiaries
$134
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~15 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
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity 26 $55 $101
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 21 $56 $112
Removal of tunneled central venous tube 18 $103 $212
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) 16 $37 $70
Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity 14 $35 $63
Removal of plaque in arteries of leg 11 $787 $1,512
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 ↗
$5,341
Total received (2020-2024)
Avg $1,068/year across 5 years
Top 4% in FL for surgical physician assistant
25
Companies
81
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
$5,341 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$818
2023
$1,362
2022
$1,190
2021
$825
2020
$1,146

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$1,113
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$944
Silk Road Medical, Inc.
$838
Penumbra, Inc.
$531
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$500
Boston Scientific Corporation
$494
Aroa Biosurgery Incorporated
$254
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$102
ACELL, INC.
$72
Inari Medical, Inc.
$66
Baxter Healthcare
$65
Medtronic, Inc.
$50
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$46
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$44
Innocoll Pharmaceuticals Limited
$42
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$31
DISTALMOTION US
$24
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$20
CVRx, Inc.
$19
Cardinal Health 200 LLC
$19
KCI USA, Inc.
$16
Solventum Corporation
$15
CORDIS US CORP.
$13
Organogenesis Inc.
$12
Checkpoint Surgical, Inc
$12
Top 3 companies account for 54.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ANGIOJET · AngioJet Ultra 5000A · Auryon Laser System 100-120 Vac · Barostim Neo System · CHAMELEON · Checkpoint Stimulators · DEXTER L6 ROBOT · Da Vinci Surgical System · ELUVIA · ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System · ENROUTE Transcarotid Stent · EPIC VASCULAR · EXCLUDER Conformable AAA Endoprosthesis with Active Control · EkoSonic · FLOSEAL · FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER · GATTEX · GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION · GORE EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis · GORE EXCLUDER Iliac Branch Endoprosthesis · GORE TAG Conformable Thoracic Endoprosthesis · GORE VIABAHN Endoprosthesis · Indigo System · Interlock · MYNXGRIP · MynxGrip Vascular Closure Device · PREVELEAK · PREVENA · Penumbra System · Puraply · S · SHOCKWAVE IVL SYSTEM WITH THE SHOCKWAVE C2 CORONARY IVL CATHETER · SURGIMEND · V.A.C. VERAFLO CLEANSE CHOICE · Varithena Administration Pack · XARACOLL · 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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 4% for surgical physician assistant in FL.

Equivalent to $5,039 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a surgical physician assistant in Fort Myers?
Compare surgical physician assistants in the Fort Myers area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Surgical physician assistants within 10 mi
90
Per 100K population
11.4
County median income
$73,099
Nearest hospital
GULF COAST MEDICAL CENTER LEE HEALTH
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 measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Merkle is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 4% of FL peers.

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. Merkle experienced with hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Merkle performed 26 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. Merkle receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Merkle received a total of $5,341 from 25 companies across 81 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. Merkle's costs compare to other surgical physician assistants in Fort Myers?
Dr. Merkle's average Medicare payment per service is $134. 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. Merkle) 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. 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 →