Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Joe Bernard, MD

Neurological Surgery · Charlotte, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Mixed engagement
225 BALDWIN AVE, Charlotte, NC 28204
7043761605
In practice since 2005 (21 years)
NPI: 1851399687 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. Bernard 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. Bernard

Dr. Joe Bernard is a neurological surgery specialist in Charlotte, NC, with 21 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Bernard performed 629 Medicare services across 580 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Bernard received a total of $119,784 from 28 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 160 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. The majority of payments are classified as financial or ownership interests (royalties, licensing fees, or investment interests). Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Bernard 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.

✓ 21 years in practice ▲ Top 12% volume in NC $119,784 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
629
Medicare services
Top 12% in NC for neurological surgery
580
Unique beneficiaries
$155
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~30 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.
153 $90 $213
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.
96 $121 $363
MRI of head blood vessels without contrast
An MRI scan that creates detailed images of the blood vessels in the head without using contrast dye.
74 $107 $1,475
Blood vessel imaging
Imaging test to visualize the blood vessels.
38 $68 $326
CT scan of head blood vessels with contrast
A CT scan that uses contrast dye to create detailed images of the blood vessels in the head.
36 $128 $1,069
Brain artery catheterization
A tube is inserted into an artery in the brain for diagnosis or treatment, with review by a radiologist.
31 $213 $2,559
Neck artery catheter insertion with radiology review
A tube is inserted into an artery in the neck for diagnostic or treatment purposes. A radiologist reviews the procedure.
25 $233 $2,809
Blood creatinine level test
A blood test that measures the amount of creatinine, a waste product from muscle wear and tear, to help assess kidney function.
24 $5 $11
Occlusion of central nervous system or spinal cord artery 23 $853 $4,555
Radiologist review of image for embolization
A radiologist reviews medical images to guide the insertion of material designed to block blood flow.
23 $54 $260
Arterial catheter insertion in neck
A tube is inserted into an artery in the neck for diagnostic or treatment purposes. A radiologist reviews the procedure.
20 $129 $545
Spinal neurostimulator generator insertion
Surgical placement of a spinal neurostimulator generator or receiver device.
17 $196 $1,905
MRI of lower spine, without contrast
A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the lower spinal canal that does not use contrast dye to create detailed images of the spine.
17 $93 $1,475
3D radiographic procedure with computerized image postprocessing
A radiographic imaging procedure that creates three-dimensional images using computerized processing of the captured data.
16 $30 $169
CT scan of neck blood vessels with contrast
A computed tomography scan that uses dye to visualize the blood vessels in the neck. This imaging test helps examine the structure and flow within the neck's vascular system.
14 $92 $1,069
Head artery clot removal and dissolution
A procedure to remove a blood clot from an artery in the head and inject medication to dissolve remaining clots, guided by fluoroscopy.
11 $640 $3,343
Spinal bone removal for neurostimulator electrode insertion
This procedure involves removing a portion of the spine bone to create space for inserting a neurostimulator electrode plate into the spinal area.
11 $641 $2,912
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.
12.1% high complexity
28.5% medium
59.5% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$119,784
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $17,112/year across 7 years
Top 11% in NC for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
28
Companies
160
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.

Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$74,899 (62.5%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$22,559 (18.8%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$15,256 (12.7%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$7,070 (5.9%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$5,969
2023
$14,754
2022
$5,801
2021
$10,089
2020
$115
2019
$50,330
2018
$32,726

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Penumbra, Inc.
$2,573
Stryker Corporation
$2,023
Boston Scientific Corporation
$523
Medtronic, Inc.
$383
Kuros Biosciences USA, Inc
$159
Spine Wave, Inc.
$107
QAPEL MEDICAL INC
$74
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$61
Abbott Laboratories
$49
MicroVention, Inc.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 85.8% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$74,899
Stryker Corporation
$14,050
Penumbra, Inc.
$12,074
MicroVention, Inc.
$6,466
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$5,899
iSchemaView, Inc.
$1,600
Boston Scientific Corporation
$1,056
Medtronic, Inc.
$988
Silk Road Medical, Inc.
$871
Imperative Care, Inc
$376
Viz.ai, Inc.
$368
Kuros Biosciences USA, Inc
$159
Globus Medical, Inc.
$154
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$128
Vertiflex, Inc.
$112
Spine Wave, Inc.
$107
QAPEL MEDICAL INC
$74
Abbott Laboratories
$63
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$61
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$58
Terumo Medical Corporation
$58
Route 92 Medical, Inc.
$41
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$24
Aesculap, Inc.
$24
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$21
Nevro Corp.
$21
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$17
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$15
Top 3 companies account for 84.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
103CM · 8F BASE CAMP SHEATH SYSTEM · ANGIO-SEAL · ATLAS · AXS CATALYST 7 · AlphaVac · Axium · Azur CX Detachable · Benchmark · CODMAN CERTAS · DIAMONDBACK PERIPHERAL · DUET · ELAN 4 · ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System · ERIC RETRIEVAL DEVICE · EXCELSIUS GPS · EXPEDIUM · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · Gliadel · HyperSoft 3D Coil · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Intracept · KYPHON EXPRESS II KYPHOPAK TRAY · MAGNETOS · NAVICROSS · Onyx · PIPELINE · PRESTIGE · PROCLAIM · Penumbra System · Pipeline · RED 72 · React · SOLITAIRE X · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPINAL IMPLANT · STENT · STRYKER NAV3 · SURPASS · SURPASS EVOLVE · SYNCHRO SELECT · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Solitaire · Superion ISS · Superion Indirect Decompression System · TA · TARGET · VenaSeal · Viz.AI LVO · WEB · WEB ANEURYSM EMBOLIZATION SYSTEM · WEB Aneurysm Embolization System · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · ZOOM 88-T LARGE DISTAL PLATFORM · ZOOM RDL RADIAL ACCESS 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 →

Payments are distributed across multiple categories with no single dominant type.

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

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
46
Per 100K population
4.1
County median income
$83,765
Nearest hospital
CAROLINAS MEDICAL CENTER/BEHAV HEALTH
1.8 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. Bernard is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 12% in NC), with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 11% of NC peers, with 21 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. Bernard experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Bernard performed 153 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. Bernard receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Bernard received a total of $119,784 from 28 companies across 160 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. Bernard's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Charlotte?
Dr. Bernard's average Medicare payment per service is $155. 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. Bernard) 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 →