Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Tarek Garas, MD

Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (Obstetrics & Gynecology) Physician · Lakeland, FL
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1755 N FLORIDA AVE, Lakeland, FL 33805
8636807000
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1295707230 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. Garas 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. Garas? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Garas

Dr. Tarek Garas is an urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery (obstetrics & gynecology) physician in Lakeland, FL, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Garas performed 1,239 Medicare services across 979 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Garas received a total of $1,081 from 13 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 23 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery (obstetrics & gynecology) 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. Garas 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.

✓ 20 years in practice▲ Top 41% volume in FL$ $1,081 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,239
Medicare services
Top 41% in FL for urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery (obstetrics & gynecology) physician
979
Unique beneficiaries
$100
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~62 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
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)298$97$194
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)194$62$132
New patient office visit (45-59 min)84$126$299
Injectable bulking agent, synthetic implant, urinary tract, 1 ml syringe, includes shipping and necessary supplies62$206$495
Simple measurement of pressure of urine flow in bladder56$176$468
Simple timed assessment of bladder emptying55$5$85
Cervical or vaginal cancer screening; pelvic and clinical breast examination54$39$60
Electronic analysis of implanted brain, spinal cord, or peripheral neurostimulator generator49$15$134
New patient office visit (30-44 min)49$85$197
Injection, ketorolac tromethamine, per 15 mg45$0$2
Ultrasound scan of uterus, ovaries, tubes, cervix and pelvic area through vagina35$86$303
Diagnostic exam of bladder and urethra using an endoscope32$177$414
Insertion of peripheral or gastric neurostimulator generator29$81$418
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)26$130$262
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle24$11$50
Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator generator with simple spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulator programming23$38$123
Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator generator with complex spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulator programming23$43$148
Injection of implant material beneath lining of bladder and/or urethra using an endoscope21$297$742
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)18$40$79
Screening papanicolaou smear; obtaining, preparing and conveyance of cervical or vaginal smear to laboratory18$42$72
Fitting and insertion of vaginal support device16$60$194
Insertion of sacral nerve neurostimulator electrode array15$876$4,430
Creation of sling around urethra in female to control leakage13$329$1,856
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 2023 ↗
$1,081
Total received (2018-2023)
Avg $180/year across 6 years
Bottom 18% in FL for urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery (obstetrics & gynecology) physician
13
Companies
23
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
$874 (80.9%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$207 (19.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2023
$197
2022
$231
2021
$383
2020
$202
2019
$57
2018
$12

Payments by company (2023)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Axonics, Inc.
$315
Medtronic, Inc.
$216
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$172
Covidien LP
$107
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$94
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$42
PFIZER INC.
$35
Hologic Sales and Service, LLC
$25
Gynesonics, Inc.
$21
Boston Scientific Corporation
$15
MEDICEM INC.
$14
ASCEND Therapeutics US, LLC
$12
Avion Pharmaceuticals
$12
Top 3 companies account for 65.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Axonics · Axonics r-SNM System · Balcoltra · Bulkamid · DILAPAN-S · Da Vinci Surgical System · ESTROGEL · GENESYS · INTERSTIM · MYFEMBREE · SONATA SONOGRAPHY-GUIDED TRANSCERVICAL FIBROID ABLATION SYSTEM · THINPREP 2000 PROCESSOR · TruClear
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 (81%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $87 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery (obstetrics & gynecology) physician in Lakeland?
Compare urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery (obstetrics & gynecology) physicians in the Lakeland area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery (Obstetrics & Gynecology) Physicians within 10 mi
2
Per 100K population
0.3
County median income
$63,644
Nearest hospital
LAKELAND REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2023
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. Garas is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and low-engagement industry engagement, with 20 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. Garas experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Garas performed 298 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. Garas receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Garas received a total of $1,081 from 13 companies across 23 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. Garas's costs compare to other urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery (obstetrics & gynecology) physicians in Lakeland?
Dr. Garas's average Medicare payment per service is $100. 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. Garas) 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 →