Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Kara Joseph

Critical Care Medicine (Anesthesiology) Physician · Burlington, MA
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Cardiac — Practice combining cardiac and cardiac services
Research-focused
41 MALL RD, Burlington, MA 01805
7817448000
In practice since 2015 (11 years)
NPI: 1821484106 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. Joseph 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. Joseph

Dr. Kara Joseph is a critical care medicine physician in Burlington, MA, with 11 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Joseph performed 160 Medicare services across 157 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Joseph received a total of $141 from 1 pharmaceutical and/or device company across 1 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in critical care medicine (anesthesiology) physician. The majority of payments are classified as research and scientific activities (grants and research funding). Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Joseph 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.

✓ 11 years in practice ▲ Top 50% volume in MA $141 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
160
Medicare services
Top 50% in MA for critical care medicine (anesthesiology) physician
157
Unique beneficiaries
$125
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~15 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
Arterial line insertion
A tube is inserted into an artery through the skin to allow for blood sampling or infusion.
 38 $37 $221
Anesthesia for heart and large blood vessel procedure
Administration of anesthesia during surgical procedures involving the heart and major blood vessels.
 18 $408 $2,580
Insertion of non-tunneled central venous catheter
A procedure to place a central venous catheter for infusion in patients aged 5 years or older. The catheter is inserted directly into a large vein without being tunneled under the skin.
 16 $70 $505
Transesophageal echocardiogram
An ultrasound of the heart performed using a probe inserted into the esophagus to obtain detailed images of heart structures and function.
 16 $89 $530
Echocardiogram, transthoracic
An ultrasound test that uses sound waves to create images of the heart's blood flow, valves, and chambers.
 16 $15 $83
Anesthesia for cataract/lens surgery
Administration of anesthesia during eye lens surgery. This code covers the anesthetic service provided for the procedure.
 15 $60 $422
Ultrasound guidance for blood vessel access
Use of ultrasound imaging to help locate and access a blood vessel. This guidance assists healthcare providers in performing procedures such as inserting IV lines or drawing blood.
 15 $12 $61
Echocardiogram with color Doppler
An ultrasound of the heart that uses color imaging to visualize blood flow, measure flow rate, and assess valve function.
 15 $3 $16
Anesthesia for heart artery bypass grafting on heart-lung machine
This code covers the administration of anesthesia during a heart artery bypass grafting procedure performed while the patient is on a heart-lung machine.
 11 $674 $4,237
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.
36.2% high complexity
28.7% medium
35.0% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2020 ↗
$141
Total received (2020-2020)
Top 33% in MA for critical care medicine (anesthesiology) physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
1
Company
1
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.

Scientific / Research
Research funding and grants
$141 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2020
$141

Payments by company (2020)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Cook Incorporated
$141
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2020 payments
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 (100%) are classified as scientific/research, suggesting involvement in clinical studies, grants, or innovation-related work.

Looking for a critical care medicine physician in Burlington?
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Data Sources

Provider Registry ✓ NPPES Weekly updates
Medicare Enrollment ✓ PECOS Monthly updates
Practice Data ✓ Medicare Util. Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments ✓ Open Payments CY 2020
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. Joseph is a cardiac & cardiac specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with research-focused industry engagement.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Joseph experienced with arterial line insertion?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Joseph performed 38 arterial line 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. Joseph receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Joseph received a total of $141 from 1 company across 1 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. Joseph's costs compare to other critical care medicine physicians in Burlington?
Dr. Joseph's average Medicare payment per service is $125. 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. Joseph) 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 →