Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Joanne Balkaran, JOANNE BALKARAN

Foot & Ankle Surgery Podiatrist · Tavares, FL
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1865 NIGHTINGALE LN STE A, Tavares, FL 32778
3523857718
In practice since 2008 (17 years)
NPI: 1659521292 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. Balkaran 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. Balkaran? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Balkaran

Dr. Joanne Balkaran is a foot & ankle surgery podiatrist in Tavares, FL, with 17 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Balkaran performed 2,966 Medicare services across 1,750 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Balkaran received a total of $24,078 from 39 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 236 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in foot & ankle surgery podiatrist. 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. Balkaran 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.

✓ 17 years in practice▲ Top 24% volume in FL$ $24,078 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,966
Medicare services
Top 24% in FL for foot & ankle surgery podiatrist
1,750
Unique beneficiaries
$54
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~174 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 (20-29 min)623$66$150
Toenail/fingernail removal, 6+ nails571$32$95
Foot X-ray, 3+ views364$25$65
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)219$42$100
Removal of skin and tissue, 20.0 sq cm or less174$97$250
New patient office visit (30-44 min)124$75$240
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)119$93$225
New patient office visit (45-59 min)104$117$350
Toenail/fingernail removal, 1-5 nails77$23$65
Trimming of fingernails or toenails69$10$30
Complete ultrasound study of arm and leg arteries66$95$200
X-ray of ankle, minimum of 3 views51$27$70
Physician or allowed practitioner supervision of a patient receiving medicare-covered services provided by a participating home health agency (patient not present) requiring complex and multidisciplinary care modalities involving regular physician or allow48$81$200
Placement of strapping to ankle or foot46$23$63
Removal of tissue from wound, 20.0 sq cm or less46$77$160
Destruction of skin growths (warts/lesions), 1-1437$78$230
Placement of skin electrodes and measurement of stimulated sites in legs34$113$300
Dexamethasone injection (steroid)31$0$2
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)25$1$10
Strapping, unna boot24$43$114
Permanent removal fingernail or toenail22$102$466
X-ray of foot, 2 views22$22$60
Biopsy of fingernail or toenail17$83$280
Injection into tendon or ligament16$39$125
Imaging guidance for procedure, 60 minutes or less13$34$162
Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from medium joint12$45$110
Physician or allowed practitioner certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians and12$41$150
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 ↗
$24,078
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $3,440/year across 7 years
Top 8% in FL for foot & ankle surgery podiatrist
39
Companies
236
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
$14,375 (59.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$9,703 (40.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$3,255
2023
$11,369
2022
$3,948
2021
$1,030
2020
$651
2019
$3,269
2018
$557

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Kerecis Limited
$10,808
Stryker Corporation
$2,559
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$2,102
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$1,619
Arthrex, Inc.
$1,478
Reel Surgical, Inc.
$1,200
Nvision Biomedical Technologies, Inc.
$484
ConvaTec Inc.
$406
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$389
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$387
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$385
Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation Inc.
$248
TRIAD LIFE SCIENCES INC.
$227
Organogenesis Inc.
$226
ORGANOGENESIS INC.
$198
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$165
Zyla Life Sciences
$158
Flower Orthopedics Coporation
$150
Paragon 28, Inc.
$150
Bioventus LLC
$130
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$83
MEDELA LLC
$60
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$53
KCI USA, Inc.
$50
Extremity Medical
$46
Smith & Nephew, Inc.
$45
Egalet US Inc
$38
Embody, Inc.
$36
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
$35
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$19
Aroa Biosurgery Incorporated
$18
Medtronic, Inc.
$17
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$17
Acera Surgical, Inc.
$16
Osiris Therapeutics Inc.
$16
Horizon Pharma plc
$16
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$16
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$15
KCI USA, Inc
$13
Top 3 companies account for 64.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIV.A.C. · ACTIVAC · ALLOGRAFT · ALLOWRAP · Apligraf · BILAYER WOUND MATRIX (BWM) · BIO4 · BIOFIX · COLLAGENASE SANTYL · EBI Bone Healing System · Exogen · Exogen Ultrasound Bone Healing System · FIBERGRAFT BG MORSELS · FIXOS · Foot and Ankle · GRAFIX · GRAFIX PL · HOFFMANN · HawkOne · INBONE · INFINITY · INNOVAMATRIX AC · Integra · KRYSTEXXA · Kerecis Omega3 SurgiClose · Kerecis Omega3 Wound · NA · NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT · NUZYRA · Nalu Neurostimulation System · NuShield · ORTHOLOC 2 LAPIFUSE · ORTHOLOC 3DI · ORTHOLOC 3DI CROSSCHECK · OXAYDO · PuraPly AM · Puraply · Puraply Antimicrobial · QUTENZA · RAYOS · RENASYS GO v2 HOME · Restrata Wound Matrix · SALVATION · SIVEXTRO · SONICANCHOR · SONICPIN · SPRIX · STIMROUTER IMPLANTABLE KIT · Santyl · Silverback · Stravix · TAPESTRY · TCC-EZ · TURBOHAWK · Tapestry · TrueLok · Truelok System · V.A.C. ULTA · VARIAX · ZORVOLEX · Zynrelef
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 (60%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 8% for foot & ankle surgery podiatrist in FL.

Equivalent to $812 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a foot & ankle surgery podiatrist in Tavares?
Compare foot & ankle surgery podiatrists in the Tavares area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse foot & ankle surgery podiatrists nearby

Geographic Context

Foot & Ankle Surgery Podiatrists within 10 mi
45
Per 100K population
11.3
County median income
$69,956
Nearest hospital
ADVENTHEALTH WATERMAN
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. Balkaran is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 24% in FL), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 8%), with 17 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. Balkaran experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Balkaran performed 623 office visit, established patient (20-29 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. Balkaran receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Balkaran received a total of $24,078 from 39 companies across 236 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. Balkaran's costs compare to other foot & ankle surgery podiatrists in Tavares?
Dr. Balkaran's average Medicare payment per service is $54. 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. Balkaran) 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 →