Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Ghassan Alkoutami, MD
Cardiovascular Disease · Hickory, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
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. Alkoutami 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. Alkoutami
Dr. Ghassan Alkoutami is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Hickory, NC, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Alkoutami performed 3,477 Medicare services across 2,636 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Alkoutami received a total of $10,914 from 50 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 584 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. 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. Alkoutami 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 in practice
▲ Top 18% volume in NC
$10,914 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗3,477
Medicare services
Top 18% in NC for cardiovascular disease
2,636
Unique beneficiaries
$47
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~174 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 (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. |
534 | $60 | $173 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
446 | $10 | $87 |
| 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. |
434 | $86 | $255 |
| Prothrombin time test (blood clotting) A laboratory test that measures how long it takes for blood to clot. This procedure evaluates the body's coagulation process. |
414 | $4 | $66 |
| EKG interpretation and report A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report. |
251 | $6 | $46 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
200 | $70 | $499 |
| 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. |
166 | $58 | $171 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and during stress using a special camera. |
102 | $138 | $632 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
99 | $8 | $21 |
| 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. |
93 | $37 | $117 |
| 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. |
84 | $118 | $392 |
| 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. |
80 | $127 | $481 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while an electrocardiogram is monitored under physician supervision. |
76 | $16 | $118 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram, with physician review of the results. |
76 | $11 | $183 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test An injection of regadenoson, a medication used to stress the heart during diagnostic testing. |
76 | $45 | $112 |
| Remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month Management based on results from remote vital sign monitoring for the first 20 minutes per calendar month. |
65 | $37 | $97 |
| Technetium Tc-99m sestamibi diagnostic injection A diagnostic injection of technetium Tc-99m sestamibi used for imaging studies. |
64 | $87 | $770 |
| Continuous external EKG monitoring, 8-15 days This procedure involves recording heart rhythm continuously using an external EKG device over a period of 8 to 15 days. |
43 | $9 | $27 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review. |
34 | $47 | $418 |
| Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older. |
33 | $9 | $200 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
23 | $56 | $294 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range. |
23 | $72 | $255 |
| Cardiac catheterization | 19 | $218 | $944 |
| Transesophageal echocardiogram An ultrasound of the heart performed using a probe inserted into the esophagus to obtain detailed images of heart structures and function. |
18 | $81 | $253 |
| Follow-up heart ultrasound An ultrasound of the heart performed to monitor or reassess a previously identified condition or treatment progress. |
12 | $28 | $143 |
| 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. |
12 | $83 | $326 |
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.
6.3% high complexity
13.8% medium
79.9% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$10,914
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,559/year across 7 years
Top 24% in NC for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
50
Companies
584
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
$10,902 (99.9%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$12 (0.1%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,290
2023
$1,975
2022
$1,708
2021
$1,571
2020
$609
2019
$2,069
2018
$1,693
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$271
ABIOMED
$165
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$163
Boston Scientific Corporation
$105
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$102
Amgen Inc.
$75
Philips North America LLC
$65
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$59
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$49
PFIZER INC.
$38
CVRx, Inc.
$37
ATRICURE, INC.
$34
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$21
Novo Nordisk Inc
$20
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$18
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$16
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$14
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$14
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$14
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$10
Top 3 companies account for 46.4% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$1,793
PFIZER INC.
$1,412
Amgen Inc.
$1,258
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$1,096
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$700
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$422
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$407
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$368
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$330
ABIOMED
$291
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$274
Boston Scientific Corporation
$216
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$209
Abbott Laboratories
$207
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$206
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$175
Medtronic, Inc.
$136
Terumo Medical Corporation
$123
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$118
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$107
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$89
ATRICURE, INC.
$83
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$78
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$75
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$67
Philips North America LLC
$65
Lundbeck LLC
$60
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$59
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$45
Baxter Healthcare
$43
CVRx, Inc.
$37
CHF Solutions, Inc
$36
Novo Nordisk Inc
$34
CARDIVA MEDICAL, INC.
$32
ARALEZ PHARMACEUTICALS US INC.
$23
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$22
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$21
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$20
AtriCure, Inc.
$19
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$18
Cardinal Health 200 LLC
$17
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$15
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$15
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$15
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
AltaThera Pharmaceuticals LLC
$14
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$14
MEDICOMP INC
$13
Itamar Medical Inc
$12
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 40.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(5044) MCOT · (BQ9) Coronary IVUS · ANDEXXA · ANGIO-SEAL · ARCTIC FRONT ADVANCE · ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM · Aquadex · Arcalyst · Assurity Pacemaker · BRILINTA · Barostim Neo System · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CROSSBOSS · Cardiac Monitor · CardioMEMS HF System · Cardiva VASCADE MVP VVCS 6-12F · Confirm Rx · Corlanor · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX · EVKEEZA · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · FARXIGA · FUROSCIX · GLIDEWIRE · General - Therapies · Hillrom - Carnation Ambulatory Monitor · Horizant · Impella · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LEXISCAN · LINQ II · LifeVest · Livalo · MITRACLIP · MULTAQ · NEXLETOL · NORTHERA · OPSUMIT · OPTICROSS · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · PRALUENT ALIROCUMAB INJECTION · Repatha · Resolute · Rybelsus · SHOCKWAVE IVL SYSTEM WITH THE SHOCKWAVE C2 CORONARY IVL CATHETER · SYNERGY · Shockwave IVL System with the Shockwave C2 Coronary IVL Catheter · Sotalol Hydrochloride · UPTRAVI · VERQUVO · VYNDAQEL · Vascepa · WAINUA · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN Access System · WATCHMAN FLX · WatchPAT · XARELTO · ZIO XT Patch · ZONTIVITY
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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
Cardiologists within 10 mi
24
Per 100K population
14.8
County median income
$64,544
Nearest hospital
CATAWBA VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 mi
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. Alkoutami is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 18% in NC), with low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Alkoutami experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Alkoutami performed 534 office visit, established patient (20-29 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. Alkoutami receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Alkoutami received a total of $10,914 from 50 companies across 584 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. Alkoutami's costs compare to other cardiologists in Hickory?
Dr. Alkoutami's average Medicare payment per service is $47. 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. Alkoutami) 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 →
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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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