Medicare Enrolled

Dr. George Comas, MD

Thoracic Surgery · Sterling Heights, MI
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Interventional — Practice combining cardiac and interventional services
Low-engagement
44250 DEQUINDRE RD, Sterling Heights, MI 48314
2489649715
In practice since 2008 (17 years)
NPI: 1578715454 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. Comas 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. Comas

Dr. George Comas is a thoracic surgery specialist in Sterling Heights, MI, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Comas performed 177 Medicare services across 170 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Comas received a total of $58,060 from 23 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 321 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. 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. Comas 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.

✓ 17 years in practice ▲ Top 20% volume in MI $58,060 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
177
Medicare services
Top 20% in MI for thoracic surgery
170
Unique beneficiaries
$346
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~10 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
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery
A minimally invasive procedure to replace a diseased aortic heart valve using a catheter inserted through the skin and femoral artery.
33 $596 $3,795
Coronary artery bypass graft, 1 artery
Surgical procedure to bypass a blocked coronary artery using a graft from another artery. This restores blood flow to the heart muscle.
23 $1,351 $5,074
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 23 $138 $204
Endoscopic vein harvest
A surgical procedure to remove a vein using an endoscope, which is a thin, lighted tube inserted through small incisions.
21 $13 $46
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.
19 $55 $182
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.
17 $96 $337
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 $113 $162
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.
13 $135 $490
Initial hospital admission, low complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving straightforward or low-level medical decision making, with at least 40 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
12 $63 $254
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.
31.6% high complexity
0.0% medium
68.4% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$58,060
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $8,294/year across 7 years
Top 6% in MI for thoracic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
23
Companies
321
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
$38,462 (66.2%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$14,218 (24.5%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$5,381 (9.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$18,947
2023
$2,303
2022
$91
2021
$6,111
2020
$3,383
2019
$9,608
2018
$17,618

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$14,218
Artivion, Inc.
$2,886
ABIOMED
$679
Abbott Laboratories
$466
Medtronic, Inc.
$306
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$243
Surgical Specialties Corporation (us), Inc. (dba Corza Medical)
$80
BIOCOMPOSITES INC
$31
ATRICURE, INC.
$21
Getinge USA Sales, LLC
$16
Top 3 companies account for 93.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$15,759
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$14,218
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$9,553
AtriCure, Inc.
$6,345
Artivion, Inc.
$2,886
Abbott Laboratories
$2,444
CryoLife, Inc.
$1,737
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,423
ABIOMED
$1,290
KLS-Martin L.P.
$615
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$514
Aziyo Biologics, Inc.
$286
ATRICURE, INC.
$178
Maquet Cardiovascular U.S. Sales, L.L.C.
$165
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$161
Boston Scientific Corporation
$114
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$91
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$87
Surgical Specialties Corporation (us), Inc. (dba Corza Medical)
$80
LSI SOLUTIONS INC
$36
BIOCOMPOSITES INC
$31
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$30
Getinge USA Sales, LLC
$16
Top 3 companies account for 68.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
3F · ACC2 Cardiac Cryosurgical System · ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM · ATRICURE CRYOICE CRYOSPHERE CRYOABLATION SYSTEM · ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · AVALUS · Acrobat-I Stabilizer · Aortic and Mitral Tissue Stented Valves · AtriCure AtriClip LAA Exclusion System · AtriCure Cryosurgical System · AtriCure Synergy Ablation System · Avalus · CARDIOHELP · CARPENTIER-EDWARDS PERIMOUNT MAGNA MITRAL EASE PERICARDIAL BIOPROSTHESIS · CG FUTURE · CG Future · COR KNOT · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · COSEAL · CRYOVALVE SG PULMONARY HUMAN HEART VALVE · Cardiac non-SynerGraft · Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT Magna Ease Pericardial Aortic Bioprosthesis · Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT Magna Mitral Ease Pericardial Valve · CoreValve Evolut · DAVINCI XI · Da Vinci Surgical System · ECM Patch · EDWARDS INTUITY Elite valve system · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYS · EPIC · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Epi-Sense Guided Coagulation System with VisiTrax · Epic Stented Tissue Valve · FLOSEAL · Freestyle · HemoSphere · INSPIRIS RESILIA aortic valve · Impella · KONECT RESILIA · LOTUS EDGE · MITRIS RESILIA Mitral Valve · Mitra Clip system · Models · Mosaic · ON-X AORTIC HEART VALVE WITH CONFORM-X SEWING RING AND EXTENDED HOLDER · Octopus · On-X · Pouch · SIMULUS · STIMULAN · SternaLock 360 · SternaLock Blu · TAGRISSO · THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · Tailor Flexible Ring and Band · Trifecta GT Tissue Heart Valve · Trifecta Tissue Heart Valve · XARELTO
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 (66%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 6% for thoracic surgery in MI.

Looking for a thoracic surgery specialist in Sterling Heights?
Compare thoracic surgerists in the Sterling Heights area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Thoracic surgerists within 10 mi
52
Per 100K population
5.9
County median income
$76,399
Nearest hospital
BEAUMONT HOSPITAL, TROY
3.5 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. Comas is a cardiac & interventional specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 20% in MI), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 6% of MI peers, with 17 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. Comas experienced with transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Comas performed 33 transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery 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. Comas receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Comas received a total of $58,060 from 23 companies across 321 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. Comas's costs compare to other thoracic surgerists in Sterling Heights?
Dr. Comas's average Medicare payment per service is $346. 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. Comas) 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.

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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 →