Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Briggs Ahearn, MD
Orthopedic Surgery · Pineville, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Research-focused
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. Ahearn 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. Ahearn
Dr. Briggs Ahearn is an orthopedic surgery specialist in Pineville, NC, with 12 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ahearn performed 3,203 Medicare services across 1,524 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ahearn received a total of $49,328 from 15 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 105 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopedic surgery. The majority of payments are classified as research and scientific activities (grants and research funding). Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Ahearn 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.
✓ 12 years in practice
▲ Top 18% volume in NC
$49,328 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗3,203
Medicare services
Top 18% in NC for orthopedic surgery
1,524
Unique beneficiaries
$45
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~267 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joint lubricant injection (Synvisc) | 1,104 | $7 | $25 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
476 | $1 | $8 |
| 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. |
277 | $85 | $237 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
220 | $49 | $235 |
| 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 | $63 | $151 |
| Knee X-ray, 4 or more views An imaging test using X-rays to create multiple pictures of the knee joint from different angles. |
160 | $34 | $103 |
| Hip X-ray, 2-3 views An X-ray imaging test of the hip joint using two to three different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures. |
148 | $32 | $81 |
| Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views An X-ray imaging test of the shoulder joint using at least two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures. |
107 | $23 | $90 |
| 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. |
86 | $110 | $390 |
| Knee X-ray, 3 views An X-ray imaging test of the knee joint that captures three different angles to evaluate the bones and surrounding structures. |
84 | $27 | $90 |
| 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. |
50 | $73 | $275 |
| X-ray of multiple joints An X-ray imaging test that captures images of several joints simultaneously to evaluate their structure and alignment. |
43 | $31 | $141 |
| 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. |
41 | $38 | $109 |
| Total knee replacement | 23 | $991 | $4,876 |
| Total hip replacement Surgical procedure to replace the thigh bone and hip joint with artificial components. |
22 | $982 | $4,278 |
| 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. |
22 | $135 | $452 |
| 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. |
20 | $131 | $344 |
| 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. |
20 | $101 | $324 |
| Elbow X-ray, 2 views An X-ray imaging test of the elbow joint using two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures. |
18 | $13 | $79 |
| X-ray of both hips, 3-4 views An X-ray imaging test that captures 3 to 4 views of both hip joints to visualize the bones and surrounding structures. |
16 | $41 | $94 |
| Computer-assisted surgery for muscle and bone procedure A surgical procedure involving muscles or bones that utilizes computer technology to assist with planning or execution. |
13 | $111 | $444 |
| Ankle X-ray, minimum 3 views An X-ray imaging test of the ankle that captures at least three different angles to evaluate the bones and joints. |
13 | $28 | $83 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views An X-ray imaging test that captures 2 to 3 views of the lower back and sacral spine to visualize the bones and joints in this area. |
12 | $28 | $106 |
| MRI of arm joint, without contrast An MRI scan uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of the arm joint. This specific procedure is performed without the use of a contrast dye. |
12 | $101 | $1,199 |
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.
1.8% high complexity
56.6% medium
41.6% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$49,328
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $7,047/year across 7 years
Top 12% in NC for orthopedic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
15
Companies
105
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.
Scientific / Research
Research funding and grants
$24,375 (49.4%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$13,918 (28.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$7,871 (16.0%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$3,164 (6.4%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$3,414
2023
$2,510
2022
$3,805
2021
$3,642
2020
$7,653
2019
$28,156
2018
$149
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Catalyst OrthoScience
$3,164
Peerless Surgical Inc.
$157
Stryker Corporation
$38
Bioventus LLC
$37
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$18
Top 3 companies account for 98.4% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Arthrex, Inc.
$20,000
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$12,780
Peerless Surgical Inc.
$5,574
DJO, LLC
$4,375
Catalyst OrthoScience
$3,164
ENCORE MEDICAL, LP
$1,828
Stryker Corporation
$497
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$331
Anika Therapeutics, Inc.
$292
Linvatec Corporation
$167
Dynasplint Systems Inc.
$115
Vericel Corporation
$93
Bioventus LLC
$67
Kerecis Limited
$29
Avanos Medical
$17
Top 3 companies account for 77.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIS · BIOBRACE 23MM · BIORAPTOR · BLUEPRINT PATIENT SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTATION · Bioinductive Implant with Arthroscopic Delivery System - Medium · Bone Anchors with Arthroscopic Delivery System · CINCHLOCK SS · CORI · CROSSFLOW PUMP · Catalyst CSR Shoulder System · Coblation Wands · DJO SURGICAL · DJO Surgical AltiVate Anatomic System · DUROLANE · DYNACORD · Durolane · Dynasplint · Dyonics Mini Shaver System · EXOGEN ULTRASOUND BONE HEALING SYSTEM · Exogen Ultrasound Bone Healing System · FIRSTPASS · FMS · HEALICOIL · HEALICOIL Suture Anchor · IDEAL · INSPACE · JOURNEY II BCS · Kerecis Omega3 SurgiClose · LEGION · MACI · MICRORAPTOR · MICRORAPTOR Knotless Shoulder · OMEGA · ON-Q* PUMP AND ACCESSORIES · ORTHOCORD · PICO7 · POLARSTEM · Q-FIX · REAL INTELLIGENCE · REELX STT · REUNION · TACTOSET · TANDEM · Tactoset · ULTRABUTTON · Versalok Orthocord
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 →
The majority of payments (49%) are classified as scientific/research, suggesting involvement in clinical studies, grants, or innovation-related work.
Geographic Context
Orthopedic surgeons within 10 mi
191
Per 100K population
16.9
County median income
$83,765
Nearest hospital
ATRIUM HEALTH PINEVILLE
3.7 mi
3.7 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. Ahearn is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 18% in NC), with research-focused industry engagement in the top 12% of NC peers.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Ahearn experienced with joint lubricant injection (synvisc)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ahearn performed 1,104 joint lubricant injection (synvisc) 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. Ahearn receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ahearn received a total of $49,328 from 15 companies across 105 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. Ahearn's costs compare to other orthopedic surgeons in Pineville?
Dr. Ahearn's average Medicare payment per service is $45. 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. Ahearn) 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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