Medicare Enrolled
David Abernathy, M. D.
Internal Medicine · Morganton, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
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 Abernathy 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 Abernathy?
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What this data tells you about Abernathy
David Abernathy is an internal medicine specialist in Morganton, NC, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Abernathy performed 4,265 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Abernathy received a total of $1,281 from 24 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 87 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 Abernathy 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 8% volume in NC
$1,281 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary — 2023
Medicare Utilization ↗4,265
Medicare services
Top 8% in NC for internal medicine
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$39
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denosumab injection (Prolia/Xgeva) | 1,320 | $18 | $28 |
| 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. |
721 | $76 | $230 |
| 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. |
282 | $59 | $190 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up A follow-up annual wellness visit that includes a personalized prevention plan of service. |
262 | $124 | $200 |
| Annual depression screening | 262 | $18 | $35 |
| Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides) A blood test that measures cholesterol and triglyceride levels. |
236 | $13 | $38 |
| Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) A blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. |
225 | $10 | $25 |
| 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. |
210 | $2 | $15 |
| Creatinine test (kidney function) A blood test that measures the amount of creatinine to assess kidney function or detect muscle injury. |
205 | $5 | $15 |
| Blood glucose level test A test that measures the amount of sugar in your blood. |
72 | $4 | $8 |
| Office visit for established patient An office visit for an existing patient that may not require the healthcare professional to be present. |
66 | $14 | $90 |
| Nursing facility visit, moderate complexity A follow-up visit by a healthcare provider at a nursing facility for an established patient. The visit involves moderate medical decision making and takes at least 30 minutes. |
62 | $68 | $142 |
| Urine microalbumin test A laboratory test that measures the amount of a specific protein called microalbumin in a urine sample. This analysis helps assess kidney function. |
61 | $6 | $10 |
| Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
43 | $39 | $100 |
| 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. |
40 | $116 | $328 |
| Home health plan of care certification Certification by a physician or allowed practitioner for Medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care. This includes contacting the home health agency and reviewing reports of patient status required by physicians. |
38 | $39 | $122 |
| Transitional care management, high complexity Coordination of care for a patient transitioning from a short-term hospital stay or other facility to home or another care setting. This service addresses a high-complexity medical problem. |
35 | $209 | $425 |
| 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. |
30 | $8 | $96 |
| 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. |
27 | $9 | $40 |
| Nursing facility visit, high complexity A follow-up visit by a healthcare provider at a nursing facility for an established patient. The visit involves a high level of medical decision making and takes at least 45 minutes. |
27 | $109 | $177 |
| COVID-19 immunoassay detection test A laboratory test that uses an immunoassay method to detect the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) through direct visual observation. |
19 | $41 | $70 |
| Initial nursing facility care, high complexity An initial visit by a healthcare provider to a patient in a nursing facility involving a high level of medical decision making, lasting at least 45 minutes. |
11 | $141 | $192 |
| Smoking cessation counseling, 4-10 minutes A brief counseling session focused on helping patients quit smoking and tobacco use. The provider spends 4 to 10 minutes discussing strategies and support for cessation. |
11 | $14 | $30 |
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 2022 ↗$1,281
Total received (2018-2022)
Avg $256/year across 5 years
Top 36% in NC for internal medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
24
Companies
87
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.
2022
$13
2021
$182
2020
$187
2019
$385
2018
$513
Payments by company (2022)
Lilly USA, LLC
$13
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2022 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2022) ›
PFIZER INC.
$191
Novo Nordisk Inc
$139
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$131
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$108
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$104
Amgen Inc.
$93
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$74
Shockwave Medical, Inc
$60
Lilly USA, LLC
$58
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$51
AbbVie Inc.
$45
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$29
AbbVie, Inc.
$28
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$25
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$25
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$17
DEXCOM, INC.
$16
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$15
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc
$13
Sanofi Pasteur Inc.
$13
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$13
SANOFI PASTEUR INC.
$11
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$11
Mylan Specialty L.P.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 36.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · Aimovig · Amitiza · BREZTRI · CHANTIX · DEXCOM G6 TRANSMITTER · DIFICID · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · ENTRESTO · EVENITY · FARXIGA · FLUZONE HIGH-DOSE · Humira · LINZESS · MYRBETRIQ · NUPLAZID · Ozempic · PRALUENT · PREMARIN · RINVOQ · SHINGRIX · SOLIQUA · SOLIQUA 100/33 · SYMBICORT · TRULICITY · Tresiba · Vascepa · Vascular Lithotripsy · Victoza · XARELTO · XIFAXAN · Yupelri
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 →
Geographic Context
Internal medicine physicians in nearby ZIP areas
99
County median income
$55,684
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
BLUE RIDGE HEALTHCARE HOSPITALS, INC
0.0 mi
0.0 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 2022 |
| 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
Abernathy is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 8% in NC), 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 Abernathy experienced with denosumab injection (prolia/xgeva)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Abernathy performed 1,320 denosumab injection (prolia/xgeva) services. These records cover Medicare fee-for-service activity, including eligible younger beneficiaries; they do not measure total practice volume or clinical quality.
Does Abernathy receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Abernathy received a total of $1,281 from 24 companies across 87 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 Abernathy's costs compare to other internal medicine physicians in Morganton?
Abernathy's average Medicare payment per service is $39. 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 Abernathy) 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 →
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Industry payments
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Which NC internal medicine physicians receive the most from drug and device companies.
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Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc Payments to Doctors
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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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