Medicare Enrolled
Dr. David Cowherd, MD
Cardiovascular Disease · Pinehurst, NC
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Electrophysiology
— Practice combining cardiac and electrophysiology services
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. Cowherd 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. Cowherd
Dr. David Cowherd is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Pinehurst, NC, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cowherd performed 5,170 Medicare services across 3,439 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cowherd received a total of $6,365 from 49 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 340 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. Cowherd 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 8% volume in NC
$6,365 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗5,170
Medicare services
Top 8% in NC for cardiovascular disease
3,439
Unique beneficiaries
$41
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~258 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. |
857 | $84 | $255 |
| 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. |
839 | $5 | $40 |
| Routine 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) A test that records the electrical activity of the heart using at least 12 leads to produce a tracing. |
834 | $4 | $43 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
316 | $67 | $415 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
294 | $8 | $20 |
| 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. |
206 | $150 | $988 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test An injection of regadenoson, a medication used to stress the heart during diagnostic testing. |
204 | $43 | $133 |
| 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. |
195 | $59 | $170 |
| Technetium Tc-99m sestamibi diagnostic injection A diagnostic injection of technetium Tc-99m sestamibi used for imaging studies. |
186 | $87 | $175 |
| Kidney function blood test panel | 155 | $9 | $62 |
| 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. |
125 | $10 | $179 |
| 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. |
122 | $16 | $112 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A test that monitors the heart's electrical activity while the patient exercises or receives medication to increase heart rate. |
122 | $21 | $174 |
| Comprehensive metabolic blood panel A blood test that measures a group of chemicals, including glucose, electrolytes, and kidney and liver function markers. |
100 | $10 | $77 |
| Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides) A blood test that measures cholesterol and triglyceride levels. |
82 | $13 | $95 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an established patient with straightforward or low-level medical decision making. The visit requires at least 25 minutes of time spent on the day of service. |
67 | $37 | $137 |
| 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. |
64 | $125 | $342 |
| Complete blood count (CBC), automated An automated laboratory test that measures the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the blood. |
55 | $6 | $40 |
| 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. |
54 | $63 | $173 |
| 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. |
46 | $97 | $324 |
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test A blood test that measures the level of thyroid stimulating hormone to evaluate thyroid function. |
41 | $16 | $90 |
| Magnesium level test A blood test to measure the amount of magnesium in your body. This helps check for magnesium deficiency or excess. |
31 | $7 | $35 |
| 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. |
30 | $102 | $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. |
28 | $123 | $477 |
| 2-day continuous ECG monitoring A continuous electrocardiogram recording that captures heart activity over a 48-hour period. This test helps detect irregular heart rhythms or other cardiac issues that may not appear during a standard, short-term ECG. |
27 | $11 | $190 |
| 2-day continuous ECG with professional review A two-day continuous electrocardiogram recording that includes a review by a healthcare professional. |
26 | $14 | $184 |
| Cardiac catheterization | 17 | $206 | $1,040 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
17 | $89 | $245 |
| Chest X-ray, 2 views An X-ray imaging test of the chest that captures two different angles to visualize the lungs, heart, and chest wall. |
15 | $13 | $91 |
| Continuous ECG monitoring, up to 30 days Continuous heart rhythm monitoring for up to 30 days, including professional review and reporting of the results. |
15 | $19 | $87 |
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.
6.4% high complexity
18.7% medium
74.9% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$6,365
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $909/year across 7 years
Top 33% in NC for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
49
Companies
340
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
$6,365 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,321
2023
$1,769
2022
$627
2021
$196
2020
$225
2019
$1,184
2018
$1,043
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$141
Lilly USA, LLC
$138
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$102
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$81
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$76
PFIZER INC.
$73
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$59
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$56
Celgene Corporation
$55
Inari Medical, Inc.
$52
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$51
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$47
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$44
Novo Nordisk Inc
$43
ABIOMED
$39
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$39
ATRICURE, INC.
$35
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$34
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$29
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$25
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$23
Boston Scientific Corporation
$20
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$17
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$16
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$16
VivaQuant Inc, dba Rhythm Express
$11
Top 3 companies account for 28.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Boston Scientific Corporation
$844
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$617
Abbott Laboratories
$390
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$346
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$335
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$309
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$307
PFIZER INC.
$264
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$254
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$219
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$209
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$200
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$196
Lundbeck LLC
$164
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$141
Lilly USA, LLC
$138
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$119
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$103
Amgen Inc.
$93
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$76
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$73
Novo Nordisk Inc
$73
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$69
ABIOMED
$64
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$58
Celgene Corporation
$55
Inari Medical, Inc.
$52
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$50
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$49
ATRICURE, INC.
$49
Cardinal Health 200, LLC
$45
Braemar Manufacturing, LLC
$42
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$39
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$38
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$34
Chiesi USA, Inc.
$33
Medtronic, Inc.
$31
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$27
CARDIVA MEDICAL, INC.
$19
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
$17
Shockwave Medical, Inc
$17
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$16
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$16
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$15
BIOTRONIK INC.
$14
Bardy Diagnostics, Inc.
$14
Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
$12
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$11
VivaQuant Inc, dba Rhythm Express
$11
Top 3 companies account for 29.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(5044) MCOT · (7999) SRC Undivided · ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM · ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION · AVEIR · Arcalyst · Assure WCD · BRILINTA · Bidil · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CARDIVA VASCADE 6/7F VCS · CLEVIPREX · CT THROMBECTOMY SYSTEM KIT · Cardiac Monitoring Suite · CardioMEMS HF System · Carnation Ambulatory Monitor · Circulatory Support · Corlanor · DS Cpap Auto Core · DUPIXENT · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · FARXIGA · FASENRA · FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER · FUROSCIX · HeartMate · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Dev · IGT D Peripheral · INJECTAFER · INSPIRE · Impella · Inpefa · JARDIANCE · KENGREAL · Kerendia · LAUNCHER · LEQVIO · LEXISCAN · LINQ II · LOKELMA · LifeVest · MITRACLIP · MULTAQ · Mitra Clip system · NORTHERA · OFEV · OPSUMIT · Ozempic · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · Ranexa · Repatha · Rhythm Express · Rybelsus · S · SHOCKWAVE IVL SYSTEM WITH THE SHOCKWAVE C2 CORONARY IVL CATHETER · Saxenda · TEGSEDI · UPTRAVI · VERQUVO · VYNDAQEL · Vascepa · Verquvo · WAINUA · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN Access System · WATCHMAN FLX · Wegovy · XARELTO · Xience Alpine cornary stent system · ZEPBOUND · Zio monitor
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
17
Per 100K population
16.5
County median income
$82,837
Nearest hospital
FIRSTHEALTH MOORE REGIONAL HOSPITAL
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. Cowherd is a cardiac & electrophysiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 8% 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. Cowherd experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Cowherd performed 857 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. Cowherd receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Cowherd received a total of $6,365 from 49 companies across 340 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. Cowherd's costs compare to other cardiologists in Pinehurst?
Dr. Cowherd's average Medicare payment per service is $41. 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. Cowherd) 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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