Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Heather North, MD

Rheumatology · Hendersonville, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
705 6TH AVE W STE B, Hendersonville, NC 28739
8282332849
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1780780668 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. North 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 →
Are you Dr. North? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. North

Dr. Heather North is a rheumatology specialist in Hendersonville, NC, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. North performed 700 Medicare services across 437 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. North received a total of $10,097 from 37 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 527 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in rheumatology. 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. North 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.

✓ 19 years in practice ▲ 700 Medicare services $10,097 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
700
Medicare services
Bottom 29% in NC for rheumatology
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
437
Unique beneficiaries
$72
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~37 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.
486 $67 $192
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 85 $126 $359
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.
81 $47 $131
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
19 $45 $139
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.
16 $86 $265
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.
13 $95 $285
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.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$10,097
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,442/year across 7 years
Top 28% in NC for rheumatology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
37
Companies
527
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
$9,969 (98.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$128 (1.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$64
2023
$282
2022
$1,856
2021
$1,156
2020
$1,411
2019
$2,566
2018
$2,761

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$25
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$21
Amgen Inc.
$18
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Amgen Inc.
$2,503
PFIZER INC.
$944
AbbVie, Inc.
$922
UCB, Inc.
$599
ABBVIE INC.
$569
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$531
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$500
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$417
AbbVie Inc.
$414
Lilly USA, LLC
$400
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$277
Genentech USA, Inc.
$231
GENZYME CORPORATION
$208
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$182
Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc.
$159
Celgene Corporation
$158
Radius Health, Inc.
$153
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$145
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$118
Mallinckrodt LLC
$84
Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC
$80
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$80
Octapharma USA, Inc.
$51
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$51
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$44
Horizon Pharma plc
$39
MEDEXUS PHARMA, INC.
$38
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$37
Bioventus LLC
$36
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$27
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$19
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$16
Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA
$15
Exeltis, USA Inc.
$14
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$13
MEDAC PHARMA, INC.
$12
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$11
Top 3 companies account for 43.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · Actemra · BENLYSTA · COLOGUARD DNA CAPTURE REAGENTS · COSENTYX · Cimzia · Durolane · EVENITY · Enbrel · FORTEO · HUMIRA · Horizant · Humira · KEVZARA · KEVZARA SARILUMAB INJECTION · KRYSTEXXA · LUPKYNIS · LYRICA · Mitigare · NUCALA · OCTAGAM IMMUNE GLOBULIN (HUMAN) · OFEV · OLUMIANT · OPSUMIT · ORENCIA · Otezla · Otrexup · PURIFIED CORTROPHIN GEL · Prolia · REMICADE · RENFLEXIS · RINVOQ · Rasuvo · Rinvoq · Rituxan · SAPHNELO · SIMPONI · SIMPONI ARIA · SKYRIZI · STELARA · TALTZ · TAVNEOS · TREMFYA · Tavneos · Tymlos · XELJANZ · XYOSTED · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH · Zilretta
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 (99%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a rheumatology specialist in Hendersonville?
Compare rheumatologists in the Hendersonville area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse rheumatologists nearby

Geographic Context

Rheumatologists within 10 mi
15
Per 100K population
12.8
County median income
$67,623
Nearest hospital
PARDEE HOSPITAL HENDERSON COUNTY
5.9 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. North is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 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. North experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. North performed 486 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. North receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. North received a total of $10,097 from 37 companies across 527 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. North's costs compare to other rheumatologists in Hendersonville?
Dr. North's average Medicare payment per service is $72. 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. North) 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 →