Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Matthew Certain, M.D.
Cardiovascular Disease · Brunswick, 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. Certain 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. Certain
Dr. Matthew Certain is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Brunswick, GA, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Certain performed 4,001 Medicare services across 3,342 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Certain received a total of $5,415 from 44 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 277 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. 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. Certain 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.
✓ 18 years in practice
▲ Top 16% volume in GA
$5,415 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗4,001
Medicare services
Top 16% in GA for cardiovascular disease
3,342
Unique beneficiaries
$60
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~222 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. |
729 | $84 | $185 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
450 | $10 | $87 |
| EKG interpretation and report A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report. |
377 | $6 | $51 |
| 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. |
353 | $56 | $123 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
269 | $131 | $486 |
| 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. |
193 | $59 | $142 |
| 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. |
159 | $110 | $264 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review. |
151 | $45 | $228 |
| Prothrombin time test (blood clotting) A laboratory test that measures how long it takes for blood to clot. This procedure evaluates the body's coagulation process. |
129 | $4 | $35 |
| 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. |
121 | $93 | $261 |
| Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
98 | $37 | $83 |
| 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. |
91 | $10 | $41 |
| 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. |
80 | $68 | $175 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while an electrocardiogram is monitored under physician supervision. |
66 | $15 | $121 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram, with physician review of the results. |
66 | $10 | $150 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and during stress using a special camera. |
61 | $56 | $308 |
| 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. |
57 | $127 | $341 |
| Cardiac catheterization | 53 | $171 | $1,047 |
| Continuous external EKG monitoring, 8-15 days This procedure involves recording heart rhythm continuously using an external EKG device over a period of 8 to 15 days. |
50 | $8 | $32 |
| External EKG monitoring, 8-15 days Continuous external electrocardiogram recording and review over a period of 8 to 15 days to monitor heart rhythm. |
46 | $19 | $61 |
| 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. |
44 | $89 | $209 |
| Pacemaker programming, dual lead system Adjustment and configuration of a dual-lead pacemaker device to ensure proper operation and settings. |
43 | $26 | $93 |
| 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. |
37 | $36 | $101 |
| Coronary stent placement A procedure to insert a stent into a coronary artery or its branch to keep it open, using balloon dilation during the process. |
36 | $400 | $1,506 |
| Continuous ECG monitoring with symptom tracking, up to 30 days This procedure involves continuous electrocardiogram monitoring for up to 30 days. It includes symptom monitoring to correlate heart activity with patient-reported events. |
34 | $6 | $154 |
| Office visit for established patient An office visit for an existing patient that may not require the healthcare professional to be present. |
32 | $14 | $49 |
| Flu vaccine, high-dose High-dose seasonal influenza vaccine for adults aged 65 and older. Contains four times the antigen of standard-dose flu vaccines (60 mcg per strain), split-virus formulation, preservative-free, single-dose syringe. |
29 | $72 | $146 |
| Flu vaccine administration This procedure involves the administration of the influenza virus vaccine. It covers the process of delivering the vaccine to the patient. |
29 | $29 | $34 |
| Continuous ECG monitoring with transmission and review Continuous electrocardiogram monitoring for up to 30 days with symptom tracking. The data is transmitted and reviewed by a healthcare professional who provides a report. |
27 | $18 | $131 |
| Evaluation of implantable heart and blood vessel monitoring system This procedure involves checking the function and data of an implanted device used to monitor heart and blood vessel activity. |
17 | $14 | $52 |
| Ultrasound of arm and leg arteries This procedure uses sound waves to create images of the blood vessels in the arms and legs. It allows healthcare providers to examine the structure and blood flow within these arteries. |
16 | $59 | $304 |
| 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. |
16 | $118 | $242 |
| Follow-up heart ultrasound An ultrasound of the heart performed to monitor or reassess a previously identified condition or treatment progress. |
15 | $19 | $229 |
| External shock to heart to regulate heart beat A procedure that delivers an electric shock to the heart from outside the body to restore a normal heart rhythm. |
14 | $79 | $362 |
| Stent placement and plaque removal in one vessel A procedure to clear plaque and blood clots from a single blood vessel, followed by the insertion of a stent and/or balloon dilation to keep the vessel open. |
13 | $484 | $1,693 |
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.
10.3% high complexity
9.4% medium
80.3% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$5,415
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $774/year across 7 years
Top 34% in GA for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
44
Companies
277
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
$5,415 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$938
2023
$663
2022
$974
2021
$906
2020
$474
2019
$674
2018
$786
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$305
Inari Medical, Inc.
$221
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$90
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$53
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$53
Baxter Healthcare
$51
PFIZER INC.
$38
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$37
CVRx, Inc.
$26
Philips North America LLC
$23
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$22
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 65.8% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$820
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$557
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$398
Amgen Inc.
$333
Boston Scientific Corporation
$320
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$298
Inari Medical, Inc.
$279
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$269
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$212
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$197
Shockwave Medical, Inc
$159
ABIOMED
$158
Abbott Laboratories
$141
Biosense Webster, Inc.
$125
Medtronic, Inc.
$105
CVRx, Inc.
$102
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$98
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$97
PFIZER INC.
$89
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$69
Baxter Healthcare
$69
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$45
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$42
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$42
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$35
Novo Nordisk Inc
$34
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$31
Braemar Manufacturing, LLC
$24
Philips North America LLC
$23
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$23
Avinger Inc.
$21
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$19
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$17
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$17
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$17
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$16
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, LLC
$16
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$15
Penumbra, Inc.
$14
Medicure Pharma Inc.
$14
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
West-Ward Pharmaceuticals
$14
Opsens Inc.
$14
Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 32.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(5044) MCOT · (5091) Amb Mon & Diag Und · ANDEXXA · ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · AREXVY · BREO · BRILINTA · Barostim Neo System · CAMZYOS · CARTO 3 · CT THROMBECTOMY SYSTEM KIT · Cardiac Monitoring Suite · ClosureFast · Corlanor · ELIQUIS · EMBLEM · ENTRESTO · Edarbi · Endurant · FARXIGA · FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device · Hillrom - Cardiac Ambulatory Monitor · Hillrom - Carnation Ambulatory Monitor · Impella · Indigo System · Inpefa · JARDIANCE · JUXTAPID · LEQVIO · LINQ II · LifeVest · Livalo · MULTAQ · Micra · Mitigare · NEXLETOL · ONPATTRO · Optis Coronary Imaging System · OptoWire · Ozempic · PANTHERIS · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · PREVNAR 20 · PlasmaBlade · Repatha · Reveal LINQ · RotarexS 6 F x 135 cm · S · SHINGRIX · SHOCKWAVE IVL SYSTEM WITH THE SHOCKWAVE C2 CORONARY IVL CATHETER · Saxenda · THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · VERQUVO · Vascepa · Verquvo · Visia AF · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN Access System · XARELTO · ZIO XT Patch · ZYPITAMAG
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.
Geographic Context
Cardiologists within 10 mi
9
Per 100K population
10.6
County median income
$68,546
Nearest hospital
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA HEALTH SYSTEM- BRUNSWICK CAMPUS
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. Certain is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 16% in GA), with low-engagement industry engagement, with 18 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. Certain experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Certain performed 729 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. Certain receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Certain received a total of $5,415 from 44 companies across 277 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. Certain's costs compare to other cardiologists in Brunswick?
Dr. Certain's average Medicare payment per service is $60. 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. Certain) 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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