Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Fernando Vale, MD

Neurological Surgery · Augusta, GA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Speaking/Promotional
1120 15TH ST, Augusta, GA 30912
7067218623
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1710906052 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. Vale 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. Vale? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Vale

Dr. Fernando Vale is a neurological surgery specialist in Augusta, GA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Vale performed 20 Medicare services across 15 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Vale received a total of $53,518 from 45 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 262 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. Vale is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 20 years in practice ▲ 20 Medicare services $53,518 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
20
Medicare services
Bottom 3% in GA for neurological surgery
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
15
Unique beneficiaries
$360
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~1 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
Brain neurostimulator pulse device insertion
Surgical placement of a brain neurostimulator pulse generator connected to a single electrode array.
 20 $360 $1,649
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 ↗
$53,518
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $7,645/year across 7 years
Top 15% in GA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
45
Companies
262
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
$24,747 (46.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$24,091 (45.0%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$4,680 (8.7%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$14,947
2023
$8,466
2022
$3,336
2021
$3,664
2020
$750
2019
$18,321
2018
$4,034

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$14,182
Boston Scientific Corporation
$263
Stryker Corporation
$174
Circinus Medical Technology LLC
$111
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$63
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$43
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$42
Medtronic, Inc.
$30
MITSUBISHI TANABE PHARMA AMERICA, INC.
$24
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$16
Top 3 companies account for 97.8% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$22,658
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$17,202
Ethicon Inc.
$4,680
Medtronic, Inc.
$2,778
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$857
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$616
Boston Scientific Corporation
$559
Stryker Corporation
$549
NEUROPACE, INC.
$385
Abbott Laboratories
$283
Baxter Healthcare
$278
NuVasive, Inc.
$274
Novocure Inc.
$229
4WEB, Inc.
$187
4WEB, INC.
$144
Eisai Inc.
$137
NATUS MEDICAL INCORPORATED
$128
Spineology Inc.
$126
Medexus Pharma, Inc.
$122
Aesculap, Inc.
$120
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$115
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$114
Circinus Medical Technology LLC
$111
Medtronic MiniMed, Inc.
$94
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$78
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$62
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$61
Brainlab, Inc.
$55
Omniscient Neurotechnology America Ltd
$52
MITSUBISHI TANABE PHARMA AMERICA, INC.
$48
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$46
Monteris Medical Corporation
$42
CSL Behring
$35
SK Life Science, Inc.
$34
EISAI INC.
$33
NeuroPace, Inc.
$32
Amgen Inc.
$29
InSightec,Inc
$25
PFIZER INC.
$24
IRRAS USA, Inc.
$23
Kuros Biosciences USA, Inc
$22
Terumo BCT, Inc.
$21
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$20
Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$16
Hyperfine Operations, Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 83.2% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIFUSE · ACTIVA · AESCULAP · AQUAMANTYS(TM) · AVS NAVIGATOR · Aimovig · Austedo XR · Bolt Navigation · Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate System · CODMAN CERTAS · Cerenovus Enterprise · DIVERGENCE-L · DURAGEN · ELIQUIS · EPIDIOLEX · EXPEDIUM · Elements · FLOSEAL · Fycompa · GENERAL DBS · GENERAL - DBS · Gleolan · INFINITY · IRRAFLOW · Image Guided Surgical Device · Infinity DBS Pulse Generators · Kcentra · M.BLUE · M.BLUE / M.BLUE PLUS VALVE · MAGEC · MAGNIFUSE · MAZOR X SYSTEM · MIDAS REX · Minimed 670G System · N/A · NAVLOCK · NSE - CUTTING ACCESSORIES · NSE - HIGH SPEED DRILLS · Neuroblate · No Related Product · O-ARM-ST · Oncology · PERCEPT PC BRAINSENSE · Pipeline · Quicktome · RADICAVA · RIALTO · RNS Neurostimulator Kit · RNS System · ROSA Brain · Rampart Duo Interbody Fusion System · SENSIGHT · SOLIRIS · SPINE TRUSS SYSTEM · STEALTH AUTOGUIDE SYSTEM · SenSight · Swoop · THINFLAP · TREVO · TRITANIUM · Thinflap · ULTOMIRIS · VERCISE · VISTASEAL · VNS - Sentiva · VNS THERAPY SENTIVA MODEL 1000 GENERATOR · VNS Therapy · VNS Therapy SenTiva Model 1000 Generator · Walter · X-Core Mini · XLIF · Xeomin
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 (46%) 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.

Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in Augusta?
Compare neurological surgerists in the Augusta area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurological surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
30
Per 100K population
14.6
County median income
$53,197
Nearest hospital
WELLSTAR MCG HEALTH, AFFILIATED WITH MED COL
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 reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Vale is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 15% of GA peers, with 20 years of NPI registration.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Vale experienced with brain neurostimulator pulse device insertion?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Vale performed 20 brain neurostimulator pulse device insertion 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. Vale receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Vale received a total of $53,518 from 45 companies across 262 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. Vale's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Augusta?
Dr. Vale's average Medicare payment per service is $360. 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. Vale) 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. Data Coverage reflects 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 →