Dr. Catherine Nelson, PA-C
What this data tells you about Dr. Nelson
Dr. Catherine Nelson is a medical physician assistant in Hickory, NC, with 8 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Nelson performed 986 Medicare services across 604 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Nelson received a total of $2,944 from 39 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 154 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in medical physician assistant. 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. Nelson 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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 (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. |
216 | $48 | $173 |
| Remote patient monitoring device, 30 days Initial setup of devices for remote monitoring of body functions with daily data transmission or alerts. This service covers the first 30 days of the monitoring period. |
186 | $30 | $117 |
| 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 | $65 | $255 |
| Annual intensive behavioral therapy for cardiovascular disease, 15 minutes A yearly, in-person session focused on intensive behavioral therapy to help manage cardiovascular disease. The session lasts for 15 minutes and is conducted with the patient individually. |
76 | $21 | $56 |
| Remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month Management based on results from remote vital sign monitoring for the first 20 minutes per calendar month. |
73 | $29 | $97 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up A follow-up annual wellness visit that includes a personalized prevention plan of service. |
73 | $104 | $245 |
| Advance care planning consultation, first 30 min A session focused on discussing and documenting future healthcare preferences and goals. This service covers the initial 30 minutes of the planning discussion. |
59 | $63 | $144 |
| Automated urinalysis An automated laboratory test performed on a urine sample to analyze its chemical and physical properties. The procedure uses machinery to detect various substances and cells within the urine. |
50 | $2 | $13 |
| 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. |
24 | $6 | $60 |
| Obesity behavioral counseling, 15 minutes A 15-minute face-to-face session focused on behavioral counseling to help manage obesity. |
24 | $21 | $56 |
| Flu vaccine administration This procedure involves the administration of the influenza virus vaccine. It covers the process of delivering the vaccine to the patient. |
21 | $29 | $52 |
| Flu vaccine, quadrivalent A flu shot containing four strains of the influenza virus to help prevent seasonal influenza infection. |
19 | $76 | $99 |
| Respiratory virus detection test A laboratory test using immunoassay techniques to detect the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and influenza viruses. |
12 | $60 | $147 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
All-time payments by company (2021-2024) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (99%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
0.0 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. Nelson is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 17% in NC), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 15% of NC peers.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Nelson experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Does Dr. Nelson receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Nelson's costs compare to other medical physician assistants in Hickory?
What does Data Coverage mean?
Is this data up to date?
Explore related providers
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