Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Steve Vacalis, D.O.

Family Medicine · Gastonia, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
2711 X RAY DR, Gastonia, NC 28054
7048342420
Registered in NPPES since 2005
NPI: 1871580399 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. Vacalis 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. Vacalis

Dr. Steve Vacalis is a family medicine specialist in Gastonia, NC, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Vacalis performed 906 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Vacalis received a total of $724,252 from 36 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 997 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly reported through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their effect on care. A reliable breakdown by payment category is not available in this snapshot. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Vacalis 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.

✓ 20 years of NPI registration ▲ Top 32% volume in NC $724,252 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary — 2023

Medicare Utilization ↗
906
Medicare services
Top 32% in NC for family medicine
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$83
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →

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.
379 $77 $472
Pneumonia vaccine administration
This procedure involves the injection of a vaccine to protect against pneumococcal disease. It is administered by a healthcare provider.
94 $29 $89
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20)
An intramuscular injection of the 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. It is used to protect against diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria.
89 $274 $854
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.
89 $115 $632
Flu vaccine administration
This procedure involves the administration of the influenza virus vaccine. It covers the process of delivering the vaccine to the patient.
67 $29 $93
Quadrivalent influenza vaccine, preservative-free
A flu shot containing four strains of the influenza virus, formulated without preservatives, administered in a 0.5 ml dose.
65 $21 $64
Ketorolac injection, per 15 mg
An injection of ketorolac tromethamine, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, administered in doses measured per 15 mg.
48 $0 $18
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle
A procedure involving the administration of a medication or substance via injection into the subcutaneous tissue or muscle.
28 $9 $109
Transitional care management services, moderate complexity
Services provided to coordinate care during the transition from an inpatient or other facility setting back to the community. This includes follow-up and management of a health problem of at least moderate complexity.
19 $154 $719
Routine 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG)
A test that records the electrical activity of the heart using at least 12 leads to produce a tracing.
14 $3 $68
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 14 $140 $898
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. These counts do not measure clinical quality or years of experience.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$724,252
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $103,465/year across 7 years
Top 0% in NC for family medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
36
Companies
997
Payment records
Payments are publicly reported; disclosure does not establish legality · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →

Payment categories are unavailable while the source breakdown is being rebuilt. Company and year totals do not identify how much belongs to each category.

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$27,009
2023
$54,856
2022
$128,612
2021
$139,941
2020
$113,800
2019
$175,247
2018
$84,788

Payments by company (2024)

Novo Nordisk Inc
$13,531
ABBVIE INC.
$11,275
Abbott Laboratories
$1,750
PFIZER INC.
$228
Exact Sciences Corporation
$113
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$48
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$42
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$21
Top 3 companies account for 98.3% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Novo Nordisk Inc
$380,674
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$144,908
Allergan, Inc.
$44,089
ABBVIE INC.
$38,961
AbbVie Inc.
$35,195
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$21,693
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$13,805
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$11,022
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$9,240
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$7,577
US WorldMeds, LLC
$4,431
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$3,720
Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$3,054
Abbott Laboratories
$2,018
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$1,373
Melinta Therapeutics, Inc.
$1,050
PFIZER INC.
$305
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$249
Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
$156
Exact Sciences Corporation
$113
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$99
ViiV Healthcare Company
$96
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$74
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$48
Forte Bio-Pharma LLC
$40
Dexcom, Inc.
$37
Lilly USA, LLC
$34
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$33
Amgen Inc.
$32
Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.
$29
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$24
MannKind Corporation
$18
CeQur Corporation
$17
Duchesnay USA Incorporated
$17
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$13
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$12
Top 3 companies account for 78.7% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AFINION 2 · AFREZZA · APRETUDE · Aimovig · BELSOMRA · Baxdela · Bonjesta · COMIRNATY · Cambia · CeQur Simplicity · Cologuard Collection Kit · DUEXIS · Dexcom G6 Transmitter · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · FARXIGA · FREESTYLE LIBRE 2 · FREESTYLE LIBRE 3 · GVOKE PFS · INVOKANA · LUCEMYRA · Lucemyra/Lofexidine · Morphabond ER · NURTEC ODT · NUZYRA · Nalocet · Ozempic · PREVNAR 20 · QULIPTA · RELISTOR · RYBELSUS · Repatha · RoxyBond · Rybelsus · SEGLENTIS · SHINGRIX · SOLIQUA 100/33 · SPRAVATO · SYMPROIC · Saxenda · Seglentis · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRULICITY · TRUMENBA · Tresiba · UBRELVY · VIBERZI · VRAYLAR · Victoza · Wegovy · XARELTO · XYOSTED · ZOHYDRO ER
Should you be concerned? Industry payments are disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their purpose, legality, or effect on care. 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 →
Looking for a family medicine specialist in Gastonia?
Compare family medicine physicians in the Gastonia area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Family medicine physicians in nearby ZIP areas
651
County median income
$65,472
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
CAROMONT REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
5.1 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPES NPPES snapshot; verify current record
Medicare Enrollment PECOS PECOS snapshot
Practice Data Medicare Util. Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open Payments CY 2024
Disciplinary History — Not included 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. Vacalis is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with 20 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. Vacalis experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Vacalis performed 379 office visit, established patient (30-39 min) services. These records cover Medicare fee-for-service activity, including eligible younger beneficiaries; they do not measure total practice volume or clinical quality.
Does Dr. Vacalis receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Vacalis received a total of $724,252 from 36 companies across 997 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their legality or effect on care. 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. Vacalis's costs compare to other family medicine physicians in Gastonia?
Dr. Vacalis's average Medicare payment per service is $83. 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. Vacalis) 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 the presence of registry, enrollment, activity or payment records, not verified experience or clinical quality. 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?
Source publication dates and the snapshots loaded on this site can differ. Rebuilding a page does not refresh its source records. Check the Medicare reporting year and the payment interval shown above; consult the linked official sources for newer releases and current registry details. See our data freshness policy →
About this page

This page combines public CMS records with calculated summaries and explanatory procedure labels. These transformations are not verbatim federal records. Sources: 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. Industry payment disclosure alone establishes neither wrongdoing nor legality. 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 →