Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Kunal Vakharia, M.D.

Neurological Surgery · Tampa, FL
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
2 TAMPA GENERAL CIR, Tampa, FL 33606
8139742201
In practice since 2013 (12 years)
NPI: 1124462700 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. Vakharia 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. Vakharia? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Vakharia

Dr. Kunal Vakharia is a neurological surgery in Tampa, FL, with 12 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Vakharia performed 280 Medicare services across 263 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Vakharia received a total of $76,159 from 13 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 157 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Vakharia 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.

✓ 12 years in practice▲ 280 Medicare services$ $76,159 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
280
Medicare services
Bottom 49% in FL for neurological surgery
263
Unique beneficiaries
$105
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~23 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
Initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes66$68$307
New patient office visit (45-59 min)32$127$507
Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 minutes27$10$40
Ultrasonic guidance for blood vessel access26$12$42
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)26$57$273
Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity23$34$118
Insertion of tube into internal neck artery for diagnosis or treatment with review by radiologist19$344$1,410
Insertion of tube into brain artery for diagnosis or treatment with review by radiologist19$181$1,187
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)16$98$382
Insertion of tube into intracranial artery for diagnosis or treatment with review by radiologist15$308$1,342
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min)11$161$671
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 ↗
$76,159
Total received (2020-2024)
Avg $15,232/year across 5 years
Top 15% in FL for neurological surgery
13
Companies
157
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$49,687 (65.2%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$18,986 (24.9%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$7,486 (9.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$60,814
2023
$11,639
2022
$2,829
2021
$256
2020
$621

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
MicroVention, Inc.
$52,380
Imperative Care, Inc
$13,315
Medtronic, Inc.
$7,680
Coastal Medical Technologies Llc
$898
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$600
Stryker Corporation
$356
MIZUHO AMERICA, INC.
$238
Viz.ai, Inc.
$198
Omniscient Neurotechnology America Ltd
$139
Penumbra, Inc.
$128
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$127
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$68
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$32
Top 3 companies account for 96.3% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
103CM · ADHERUS AUTOSPRAY ET DURAL SEALANT · AURORA SURGISCOPE · AZUR CX DETACHABLE · Cosmos Coil · DURAMATRIX · EMBOTRAP · MEDPOR TITAN · MIDAS REX · ONYX 18 · PIPELINE · Penumbra System · Quicktome · RIST · SOLITAIRE X · STEALTHSTATION S8 PLATFORM · STENT · TREVO · Thinflap · Viz.AI LVO · WEB ANEURYSM EMBOLIZATION SYSTEM · WEB Aneurysm Embolization System · WELIREG · ZOOM 88-T LARGE DISTAL PLATFORM · ZOOM RDL RADIAL ACCESS SYSTEM · ZOOM REPERFUSION CATHETER
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 →

The majority of payments (65%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in neurological surgery and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware.

Equivalent to $27,199 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a neurological surgery in Tampa?
Compare neurological surgerys in the Tampa area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Neurological Surgerys within 10 mi
96
Per 100K population
6.4
County median income
$75,011
Nearest hospital
TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
0.0 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. Vakharia is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (speaking/promotional, top 15%).

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. Vakharia experienced with initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Vakharia performed 66 initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes 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. Vakharia receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Vakharia received a total of $76,159 from 13 companies across 157 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. Vakharia's costs compare to other neurological surgerys in Tampa?
Dr. Vakharia's average Medicare payment per service is $105. 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. Vakharia) 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 →