Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Varsha Kulkarni, M.D.
Critical Care Medicine · Augusta, GA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-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. Kulkarni 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. Kulkarni
Dr. Varsha Kulkarni is a critical care medicine specialist in Augusta, GA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Kulkarni performed 3,707 Medicare services across 2,675 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Kulkarni received a total of $13,341 from 48 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 559 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in critical care medicine. 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. Kulkarni 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
▲ Top 5% volume in GA
$13,341 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗3,707
Medicare services
Top 5% in GA for critical care medicine
2,675
Unique beneficiaries
$63
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~195 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
637 | $60 | $140 |
| 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. |
595 | $90 | $225 |
| Expiratory airflow and volume test A test that measures the amount of air you can exhale and the speed at which you can breathe it out. It evaluates lung function by assessing expiratory airflow and volume. |
524 | $19 | $95 |
| Pulmonary gas exchange test A test to examine how well the lungs exchange gases. |
520 | $39 | $149 |
| 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. |
299 | $92 | $199 |
| CT scan of chest, without contrast A computed tomography scan of the chest area that uses X-rays to create detailed images without the use of contrast dye. |
289 | $59 | $152 |
| Chest X-ray, 2 views An X-ray imaging test of the chest that captures two different angles to visualize the lungs, heart, and chest wall. |
124 | $24 | $95 |
| 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. |
115 | $132 | $330 |
| 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. |
88 | $111 | $330 |
| 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. |
84 | $61 | $180 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 72 | $162 | $420 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter. |
65 | $128 | $299 |
| Smoking cessation counseling, 4-10 minutes A brief counseling session focused on helping patients quit smoking and tobacco use. The provider spends 4 to 10 minutes discussing strategies and support for cessation. |
46 | $14 | $30 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
42 | $100 | $250 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an established patient with straightforward or low-level medical decision making. The visit requires at least 25 minutes of time spent on the day of service. |
33 | $39 | $100 |
| Lung cancer screening counseling visit A visit to discuss the need for lung cancer screening using a low-dose CT scan. This service is used to determine eligibility and facilitate shared decision making. |
30 | $27 | $95 |
| Breathing device use evaluation An assessment of how a patient uses a breathing device. The provider reviews the patient's technique and device handling. |
28 | $12 | $50 |
| 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. |
27 | $76 | $226 |
| Low dose CT scan of chest for lung cancer screening A specialized CT scan of the chest using a lower radiation dose to screen for lung cancer. |
20 | $107 | $450 |
| Bronchial irrigation and suction for cell collection This procedure uses an endoscope to flush and suction the lung airways in order to collect cells for testing. |
16 | $49 | $400 |
| Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older. |
16 | $10 | $90 |
| Exercise-induced lung stress test A test performed to evaluate how the lungs function during physical exertion. It helps identify breathing difficulties or lung conditions that occur specifically when exercising. |
13 | $25 | $180 |
| Bronchoscopy with ultrasound and lymph node sampling A procedure using an endoscope and ultrasound to examine the lung airways and collect samples from 1 to 2 lymph nodes. |
12 | $165 | $400 |
| Lung volume test using sensors A test that measures the amount of air in the lungs using sensors. |
12 | $9 | $25 |
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 ↗$13,341
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,906/year across 7 years
Top 12% in GA for critical care medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
48
Companies
559
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
$13,191 (98.9%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$150 (1.1%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$3,096
2023
$2,300
2022
$2,018
2021
$1,434
2020
$1,237
2019
$2,178
2018
$1,077
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$499
Pulmonx Corporation
$441
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$397
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$336
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$161
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$151
GENZYME CORPORATION
$145
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$132
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$120
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$75
Amgen Inc.
$74
Grifols USA, LLC
$71
ABBVIE INC.
$68
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$67
Shionogi Inc
$63
Melinta Therapeutics, LLC
$47
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$44
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$43
United Therapeutics Corporation
$39
Mylan Specialty L.P.
$36
Insmed, Inc.
$29
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$24
ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$20
Resmed Corp
$15
Top 3 companies account for 43.2% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$3,003
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$1,853
Pulmonx Corporation
$1,181
Veran Medical Technologies, Inc.
$720
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$706
Insmed, Inc.
$611
Mylan Specialty L.P.
$387
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$384
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$379
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$336
United Therapeutics Corporation
$264
GENZYME CORPORATION
$258
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$250
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$248
Genentech USA, Inc.
$237
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$226
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$210
Grifols USA, LLC
$201
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$200
Shionogi Inc
$174
Amgen Inc.
$164
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$158
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$132
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$127
Melinta Therapeutics, LLC
$114
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$103
ABBVIE INC.
$101
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$96
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$89
ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$54
AbbVie Inc.
$33
Baxter Healthcare
$32
Covidien LP
$30
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$29
Advanced Respiratory, Inc
$28
Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC
$27
Allergan Inc.
$26
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$24
Mallinckrodt LLC
$24
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$17
Sandoz Inc.
$17
Melinta Therapeutics, Inc.
$15
Allergan, Inc.
$15
Resmed Corp
$15
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company
$14
Acacia Pharma Inc
$14
Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$12
Merit Medical Systems Inc
$4
Top 3 companies account for 45.2% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · AERO Stent and Delivery System · AIRSENSE · AIRSUPRA · ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · AREXVY · ASMANEX · AVYCAZ · Adempas · AirDuo Digihaler · Arikayce · BEVESPI AEROSPHERE · BEVYXXA · BREO · BREZTRI · BREZTRI AEROSPHERE · BYFAVO · Baxdela · CHARTIS CATHETER · DUPIXENT · DUPIXENT DUPILUMAB INJECTION · Da Vinci Surgical System · Dymista · Esbriet · FARXIGA · FASENRA · Fetroja · GIAPREZA · GLASSIA · Hillrom - Life 2000 Ventilation System · INSPIRE · Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation System · LONHALA MAGNAIR · NUCALA · OFEV · OPSUMIT · PURIFIED CORTROPHIN GEL · Perforomist · Prolastin-C · Prolastin-C Liquid · Pulmonx Endobronchial Valve EBV · Rezzayo · SHINGRIX · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SYMBICORT · Spin · SuperDimension · TEFLARO · TEZSPIRE · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TREPROSTINIL · TYVASO · The Vest System Model 105 Home Care · UPTRAVI · Utibron · Vabomere · WINREVAIR · XOLAIR · XYWAV · Xembify · Xolair · YUPELRI · Yupelri · ZEPHYR ENDOBRONCHIAL VALVE · ZERBAXA
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 (99%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
Critical care medicines within 10 mi
14
Per 100K population
6.8
County median income
$53,197
Nearest hospital
PIEDMONT AUGUSTA HOSPITAL
0.0 mi
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. Kulkarni is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 5% in GA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 12% of GA peers, 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. Kulkarni experienced with hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Kulkarni performed 637 hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity 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. Kulkarni receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Kulkarni received a total of $13,341 from 48 companies across 559 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. Kulkarni's costs compare to other critical care medicines in Augusta?
Dr. Kulkarni's average Medicare payment per service is $63. 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. Kulkarni) 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.
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