Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Pablo Santamaria, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Urology Physician · Augusta, GA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1120 15TH ST, Augusta, GA 30912
7067218623
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1801975164 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. Santamaria 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. Santamaria? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Santamaria

Dr. Pablo Santamaria is an urology physician in Augusta, GA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Santamaria performed 446 Medicare services across 378 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Santamaria received a total of $8,360 from 37 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 135 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urology 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. Santamaria 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.

✓ 19 years in practice ▲ 446 Medicare services $8,360 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
446
Medicare services
Bottom 18% in GA for urology physician
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
378
Unique beneficiaries
$79
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · 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.

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.
93 $90 $230
Bladder ultrasound after voiding
An ultrasound scan performed after urination to measure the amount of urine remaining in the bladder.
69 $7 $115
Cystourethroscopy
A diagnostic exam of the bladder and urethra using an endoscope to visually inspect the urinary tract.
54 $55 $492
New patient office visit (30-44 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range.
53 $58 $165
Endoscopic removal of foreign body, stone, or stent from urethra or bladder
A procedure to remove a foreign object, stone, or stent from the urethra or bladder using an endoscope. The endoscope is a thin tube with a camera inserted into the urinary tract to locate and extract the item.
41 $108 $774
Ureteral stone crushing with stent insertion
An endoscope is used to break up a stone in the ureter, followed by the placement of a stent to keep the ureter open.
20 $314 $1,026
Ureteral stent insertion via endoscope
A flexible tube is inserted into the ureter using an endoscope to keep the passage open and allow urine to flow from the kidney to the bladder.
19 $97 $1,138
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.
19 $106 $352
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.
15 $61 $153
Telephone medical discussion, 5-10 minutes
A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 5 and 10 minutes to discuss medical matters.
14 $25 $64
Voiding cystourethrogram
An imaging procedure that uses X-rays to visualize the bladder and urethra while urine is being passed.
13 $28 $325
Prostate gland biopsy
A procedure to remove small samples of tissue from the prostate gland for laboratory examination.
13 $70 $424
Radiologist review of urinary bladder image
A radiologist examines and interprets images of the urinary bladder to assess its structure and function.
12 $12 $71
Prostate tissue destruction using radiofrequency heated water vapor
A procedure that destroys prostate tissue by using radiofrequency energy to heat water vapor. This method is applied to treat the prostate gland.
11 $292 $947
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.
17.9% high complexity
18.4% medium
63.7% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$8,360
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,194/year across 7 years
Top 27% in GA for urology physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
37
Companies
135
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
$8,347 (99.9%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$12 (0.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$3,769
2023
$2,086
2022
$903
2021
$1,382
2020
$141
2019
$32
2018
$47

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Axonics, Inc.
$1,211
COLOPLAST CORP
$534
Teleflex LLC
$424
Boston Scientific Corporation
$378
PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation
$229
Medtronic, Inc.
$215
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$140
Olympus America Inc.
$134
CONMED Corporation
$110
Cook Medical LLC
$81
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$76
C. R. Bard, Inc. & Subsidiaries
$71
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$51
Innovation Technologies Inc
$36
DENTSPLY IH AB
$31
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$26
Ambu Inc.
$20
Top 3 companies account for 57.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Axonics, Inc.
$1,329
Boston Scientific Corporation
$957
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$946
PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation
$857
COLOPLAST CORP
$623
Teleflex LLC
$595
Cook Medical LLC
$534
Medtronic, Inc.
$426
Olympus America Inc.
$282
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$140
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$126
Richard Wolf Medical Instruments Corp.
$126
Coloplast Corp
$119
Aroa Biosurgery Incorporated
$119
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$110
CONMED Corporation
$110
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$109
Palette Life Sciences, Inc.
$105
C. R. Bard, Inc. & Subsidiaries
$94
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$83
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$76
180 Medical, Inc.
$57
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$52
Ambu Inc.
$50
Becton, Dickinson and Company
$48
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$46
Innovation Technologies Inc
$36
DENTSPLY IH Inc.
$34
DENTSPLY IH AB
$31
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$28
Baxter Healthcare
$21
Innocoll Incorporated
$17
TOLMAR Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$16
Exact Sciences Corporation
$16
PFIZER INC.
$16
AbbVie, Inc.
$15
Travere Therapeutics, Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 38.7% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AIRSEAL · AMS 700 · AMS 700 CXR RTE KIT · AMS 800 Artificial Urinary Sphincter · AQUABEAM ROBOTIC SYSTEM · AQUABEAM SYSTEM · Altis · Androgel · Axonics · Bard Urinary Drainage Bag · Bulkamid · CLINICAL TRIAL PRODUCT · COOK · Cologuard Collection Kit · ELIGARD · ERLEADA · FIBER DUST · FLOSEAL · GEMTESA · GENERAL KIDNEY STONE DISEASE · GENTLECATH · General - BPH · GentleCath · INTERSTIM · IRRISEPT · Isiris aStent Removal Device · KEYTRUDA · LITHO 150 · LOFRIC · LYNPARZA · LoFric · Luja Coude · MYRBETRIQ · OXLUMO · Olympus · Porges Coloplast · REZUM · Rezum Generator · SPACEOAR VUE · Solyx SIS System · SpaceOAR VUE System - 10mL · SpeediCath · Stenostent · TOVIAZ · Thiola · Titan · UROLIFT · XARACOLL · XIAFLEX · Xpeeda DSL Fiber · iTIND System
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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for an urology physician in Augusta?
Compare urology physicians in the Augusta area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse urology physicians nearby

Geographic Context

Urology physicians within 10 mi
31
Per 100K population
15.0
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. Santamaria is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 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. Santamaria experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Santamaria performed 93 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. Santamaria receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Santamaria received a total of $8,360 from 37 companies across 135 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. Santamaria's costs compare to other urology physicians in Augusta?
Dr. Santamaria's average Medicare payment per service is $79. 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. Santamaria) 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. 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 →