Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Brett Schlifka, D.O.
Neurological Surgery · Wellington, FL
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Mixed engagement
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. Schlifka 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. Schlifka
Dr. Brett Schlifka is a neurological surgery specialist in Wellington, FL, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Schlifka performed 1,046 Medicare services across 710 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Schlifka received a total of $708,027 from 72 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 787 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. The majority of payments are classified as financial or ownership interests (royalties, licensing fees, or investment interests). Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Schlifka 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.
✓ 19 years in practice
▲ Top 8% volume in FL
$708,027 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,046
Medicare services
Top 8% in FL for neurological surgery
710
Unique beneficiaries
$156
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~55 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) A follow-up office visit for an existing patient lasting between 30 and 39 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
359 | $101 | $843 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
134 | $88 | $822 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter. |
115 | $128 | $1,292 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
76 | $133 | $1,607 |
| Spinal fusion of additional segment A surgical procedure to join an additional section of the spine to the existing fusion. This is performed as a separate or subsequent step to stabilize more of the spinal column. |
75 | $300 | $3,548 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
74 | $61 | $561 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service. |
45 | $63 | $569 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, each additional segment This procedure involves the partial removal of spinal bone to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. It is billed for each additional spinal segment treated beyond the initial segment. |
42 | $160 | $1,896 |
| Spine fusion with cage or mesh device insertion A surgical procedure to fuse spine bones by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space. |
33 | $195 | $2,657 |
| Spinal fusion with cage or mesh insertion A surgical procedure to fuse vertebrae by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space between the bones. |
24 | $294 | $3,439 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back. |
20 | $585 | $6,790 |
| Fusion of spine in lower back | 13 | $1,006 | $13,500 |
| Spinal fusion exploration A surgical procedure to examine the site of a previous spinal fusion. The surgeon inspects the area to assess the status of the fusion and surrounding structures. |
13 | $392 | $7,022 |
| Biologic implant to soft tissue A procedure involving the placement of a biologic implant into soft tissue. |
12 | $184 | $1,797 |
| Lower spine bone segment removal A surgical procedure to cut into or remove a segment of bone from the lower spine. |
11 | $708 | $12,785 |
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.
15.1% high complexity
0.0% medium
84.9% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$708,027
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $101,147/year across 7 years
Top 3% in FL for neurological surgery
72
Companies
787
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.
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$374,824 (52.9%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$154,378 (21.8%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$151,099 (21.3%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$27,726 (3.9%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$34,742
2023
$78,521
2022
$98,194
2021
$86,521
2020
$113,369
2019
$95,037
2018
$201,642
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
The Institute of Musculoskeletal Science and Education
$331,556
Stryker Corporation
$65,310
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$59,259
Baxter Healthcare
$35,271
Integrity Implants Inc.
$34,033
Skye Orthobiologics LLC
$30,000
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$25,980
NuVasive, Inc.
$19,296
Integrity Implants Inc
$14,461
FloSpine LLC
$11,636
Integrity Implants Inc. dba Accelus
$11,199
Medtronic, Inc.
$10,722
SI-BONE, INC.
$8,921
Camber Spine Technologies LLC
$8,816
Medacta USA, Inc.
$6,799
restor3d, inc.
$5,750
OssDsign Incorporated
$3,069
Carlsmed, Inc.
$2,864
Synaptive Medical Inc.
$2,582
Abbott Laboratories
$2,361
Camber Spine Technologies
$2,160
Intrinsic Therapeutics
$2,045
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$2,005
SI-BONE, Inc.
$1,815
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$1,306
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$871
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$869
SPINEART USA INC
$571
Cerapedics, Inc.
$500
SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
$438
DJO, LLC
$390
Prosidyan, Inc
$362
Osteomed LLC
$299
Choice Spine, LLC
$295
Cerapedics Inc.
$288
Centinel Spine, LLC
$288
MEDACTA USA, INC.
$284
Boston Scientific Corporation
$251
MML US, Inc.
$214
Globus Medical, Inc.
$208
4WEB, Inc.
$191
BIOTRONIK NRO, Inc.
$181
VGI Medical, LLC
$171
Curiteva, Inc.
$168
Woven Orthopedic Technologies, LLC
$165
Nevro Corp.
$148
LENOSS MEDICAL INC
$147
Captiva Spine Inc
$127
Precision Spine, Inc.
$126
C2Dx, Inc
$125
ulrich medical USA, Inc.
$122
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$120
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$112
SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
$112
AbbVie Inc.
$110
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$94
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$82
SeaSpine Orthopedics Corporation
$61
Osseus Fusion Systems, LLC
$50
Surgalign Spine Technologies, Inc.
$43
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
$29
Sanara MedTech Inc.
$27
Penumbra, Inc.
$22
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$21
Radius Health, Inc.
$20
CSL Behring
$20
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$18
Omniscient Neurotechnology America Ltd
$18
Flower Orthopedics Coporation
$18
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$16
ConvaTec Inc.
$13
Nexus Spine, LLC
$6
Top 3 companies account for 64.4% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIFUSE · ALIF · ANDEXXA · AQUACEL AG · AUGMENT INJECTABLE · AVAFLEX · Access & Cavity Creation Kit · Anterior Cervical Plate System · Artemis · Axium INS DRG IPG · BARRICAID ACD (ANNULAR CLOSURE DEVICE) · BIOFIX · BIOTRONIK · BLACKHAWK CERVICAL SPACER SYSTEM · Barricaid Annular Closure Device · Becker · Blackhawk · Brightmatter Guide/Modus V · C360 · CD HORIZON · CLYDESDALE · CMF · CMF SPINALOGIC · CMF-Medical Model · COVEREDGE · CREO · Canaveral Deformity System · CapLOX II · CellerateRx · Cervical-Stim Osteogenesis Stimulator · Coveris · EXPEDIUM · Excelsius Robotics System · Exparel · FIBERGRAFT · FLOSEAL · Fibergraft · Fibergraft BG Matrix · FlareHawk · GRAFIX PL · GRAFIX XC · I-FACTOR PEPTIDE ENHANCED BONE GRAFT · IFUSE IMPLANT · IFUSE IMPLANT SYSTEM · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Iovera · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · KYPHON EXPRESS II KYPHOPAK TRAY · Kcentra · LineSider · MECTALIF · MIDAS REX · MLX · MONOCRYL · MUST · MYSPINE · Mariner · MazorX - Renaissance · MazorX Renaissance · Medical Devices · Modulus · NEURO-Neur · NURTEC ODT · Nalu Neurostimulation System · No Related Product · O-ARM-Spine · OMNIGRAFT · OPTABLATE · OSTEOCOOL RF ABLATION · OSTEOCOOL RF ABLATION SYSTEM · Octrode SCS Leads · Orthros · OssDsign Catalyst · Osteocel · Other - Miscellaneous · PLIF · PROCLAIM · PRODIGY · PRODISC C · PRODISC L · Panama Anterior Cervical Plate System · Panama Cervical Anterior Plate System · Penta SCS Leads · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · Prodigy Family of SCS IPGs · Prospera · Protege Family of SCS IPGs · Pulse · Quicktome · RELINE · RESTORE · ReActiv8 · SIghtLine · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM · SPINEJACK · SYMPHONY · SYNAPSE · SYNCHROMED · SYNCHROMEDII · Sentio · Senza · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · SlMMETRY · Spira · T2 STRATOSPHERE · TLIF · TLX · Ti Largo Cervical Cage System · Ti-Largo Cervical Cage System · Tymlos · UBRELVY · UNID_PASS · VIPER · Vault C · VersaTie · VerteLoc/SiJoin/VerteLP/CerLoc · X-CORE · XLIF · aprevo · i-FACTOR Putty · iFuse Implant · iGA
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 →
Payments are distributed across multiple categories with no single dominant type. Total industry engagement is in the top 3% for neurological surgery in FL.
Equivalent to $67,689 per 100 Medicare services performed
Geographic Context
Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
46
Per 100K population
3.1
County median income
$81,115
Nearest hospital
WELLINGTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
3.9 mi
3.9 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. Schlifka is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 8% in FL), with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 3% of FL peers, with 19 years of NPI registration.
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. Schlifka experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Schlifka performed 359 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. Schlifka receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Schlifka received a total of $708,027 from 72 companies across 787 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. Schlifka's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Wellington?
Dr. Schlifka's average Medicare payment per service is $156. 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. Schlifka) 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.
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