Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Kelsie Cato, PA-C

Medical Physician Assistant · Raleigh, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1540 SUNDAY DR, Raleigh, NC 27607
9197823456
In practice since 2009 (16 years)
NPI: 1669706768 verify on NPPES ↗
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. Cato 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 Dr. Cato? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Cato

Dr. Kelsie Cato is a medical physician assistant in Raleigh, NC, with 16 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cato performed 770 Medicare services across 529 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cato received a total of $11,205 from 50 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 516 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. Cato 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.

✓ 16 years in practice ▲ Top 20% volume in NC $11,205 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
770
Medicare services
Top 20% in NC for medical physician assistant
529
Unique beneficiaries
$48
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~48 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.
340 $47 $150
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.
138 $68 $220
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg 90 $5 $15
Trigger point injection, 3 or more muscles
Injection of medication into three or more specific muscle trigger points to relieve pain.
79 $34 $195
Definitive drug test using GC/MS or LC/MS
A definitive drug test that identifies specific drugs and distinguishes between structural isomers using advanced methods like GC/MS or LC/MS.
38 $150 $235
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.
32 $28 $90
Drug screening test
A laboratory test that uses a chemistry analyzer to detect the presence of drugs in a sample.
30 $61 $93
Trigger point injection, 1-2 muscles
A procedure involving the injection of medication into one or two specific muscles to treat trigger points.
23 $24 $153
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.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$11,205
Total received (2021-2024)
Avg $2,801/year across 4 years
Top 3% in NC for medical physician assistant
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
50
Companies
516
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
$11,205 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$3,230
2023
$2,769
2022
$3,141
2021
$2,065

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ABBVIE INC.
$517
UCB, Inc.
$313
Lundbeck LLC
$284
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$284
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$278
Lilly USA, LLC
$210
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$207
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
$205
PFIZER INC.
$191
Eisai Inc.
$148
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$109
Boston Scientific Corporation
$100
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$83
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$76
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$41
Biogen, Inc.
$39
Amgen Inc.
$38
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$30
Grifols USA, LLC
$24
GENZYME CORPORATION
$21
IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS US INC
$18
ARGENX US, INC.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 34.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2021-2024) ›
ABBVIE INC.
$1,759
AbbVie Inc.
$955
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$819
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$659
Amgen Inc.
$526
Lundbeck LLC
$512
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$511
UCB, Inc.
$486
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$431
Lilly USA, LLC
$387
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
$373
PFIZER INC.
$329
IMPEL PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$317
GENZYME CORPORATION
$300
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$278
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$274
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$234
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$228
Eisai Inc.
$218
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$164
Celgene Corporation
$152
EISAI INC.
$133
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$105
Boston Scientific Corporation
$100
UPSHER-SMITH LABORATORIES LLC
$90
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$83
Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC
$67
Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$63
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$50
Almatica Pharma LLC
$49
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$47
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$41
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$40
Biogen, Inc.
$39
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$36
SI-BONE, INC.
$36
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$34
Avion Pharmaceuticals
$32
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$30
SK Life Science, Inc.
$28
Neurelis, Inc.
$26
GE HealthCare
$25
Grifols USA, LLC
$24
Banner Life Sciences, LLC
$22
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$19
IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS US INC
$18
ARGENX US, INC.
$15
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$15
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$15
Allergan, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 31.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AJOVY · AMYVID · APTIOM · AUBAGIO · AUSTEDO · Aimovig · Austedo XR · BAFIERTAM · BOTOX · Belbuca · Briviact · COMIRNATY · Dayvigo · Dhivy · ELYXYB - celecoxib · EMGALITY · EVUSHELD · FABRAZYME · Fycompa · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GRALISE · Gamunex-C · HYQVIA · Horizant · INGREZZA · KESIMPTA · KISUNLA · LEQEMBI · LYVISPAH · Leqembi · NURTEC ODT · Nayzilam · OXTELLAR XR · Ongentys · PAXLOVID · Ponvory · QULIPTA · QUTENZA · QUVIVIQ · Qutenza · RELISTOR · RYTARY · Rystiggo · SOLIRIS · SPRINT PNS System · Seglentis · Soliris · TOSYMRA · TROKENDI XR · Trudhesa · UBRELVY · ULTOMIRIS · UPLIZNA · VALTOCO · VYEPTI · VYVGART HYTRULO · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XTAMPZA · ZAVZPRET · ZEMBRACE SYMTOUCH · ZEPOSIA · ZTLido
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. Total industry engagement is in the top 3% for medical physician assistant in NC.

Looking for a medical physician assistant in Raleigh?
Compare medical physician assistants in the Raleigh area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse medical physician assistants nearby

Geographic Context

Medical physician assistants within 10 mi
347
Per 100K population
30.1
County median income
$101,763
Nearest hospital
REX HOSPITAL
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. Cato is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 20% in NC), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 3% of NC peers, with 16 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. Cato experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Cato performed 340 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. Cato receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Cato received a total of $11,205 from 50 companies across 516 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. Cato's costs compare to other medical physician assistants in Raleigh?
Dr. Cato's average Medicare payment per service is $48. 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. Cato) 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 →
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.

Provider corrections: Provider portal · Privacy questions: Privacy Policy · Terms: Terms of Use · Methodology: Methodology

Data Disclaimer — Data sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), Open Payments program, Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data, and Provider Enrollment & Certification data (PECOS). Published under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This website is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by CMS, HHS, or the U.S. Government. Data may contain errors as reported to CMS by providers and reporting entities. Payments from industry are legal and do not indicate wrongdoing. Medicare data reflects only patients aged 65+ or those with qualifying disabilities. For corrections, contact CMS directly. This information does not constitute medical advice and should not be used as the sole basis for choosing a healthcare provider. Procedure descriptions use plain language and do not reference CPT® codes, which are copyrighted by the American Medical Association. Full methodology → · Report a data error → · Privacy policy →