Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Thomas Pfiffner, M.D.
Neurology · Buffalo, NY
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice
— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
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. Pfiffner 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. Pfiffner
Dr. Thomas Pfiffner is a neurology specialist in Buffalo, NY, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Pfiffner performed 6,103 Medicare services across 1,305 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Pfiffner received a total of $10,560 from 78 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 550 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurology. 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. Pfiffner 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.
✓ 17 years in practice
▲ Top 12% volume in NY
$10,560 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗6,103
Medicare services
Top 12% in NY for neurology
1,305
Unique beneficiaries
$45
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~359 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injection, immune globulin, (gamunex-c/gammaked), non-lyophilized (e.g., liquid), 500 mg | 3,060 | $38 | $65 |
| Gadobenate dimeglumine injection An injection of gadobenate dimeglumine, a contrast agent used to enhance imaging results. |
1,800 | $1 | $7 |
| MRI of upper spine without contrast An MRI scan of the upper spinal canal that does not use contrast dye. This imaging test uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed pictures of the spine. |
178 | $131 | $615 |
| MRI of lower spine, without contrast A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the lower spinal canal that does not use contrast dye to create detailed images of the spine. |
134 | $138 | $662 |
| MRI scan of brain, without contrast A magnetic resonance imaging test of the brain that does not use contrast dye. This procedure creates detailed images of the brain's structure using magnetic fields and radio waves. |
126 | $144 | $607 |
| 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. |
122 | $78 | $150 |
| MRI of brain with and without contrast An MRI scan of the brain using contrast dye both before and after administration to provide detailed images of brain structures. |
94 | $237 | $1,285 |
| Additional hour of intravenous infusion This code represents each additional hour of intravenous infusion beyond the initial hour for therapy, prevention, or diagnosis. |
58 | $16 | $53 |
| Normal saline infusion, 250 cc Administration of 250 cubic centimeters of normal saline solution into a vein. This procedure involves the intravenous delivery of a sterile saltwater fluid. |
57 | $0 | $6 |
| 3D radiographic procedure with computerized image postprocessing A radiographic imaging procedure that creates three-dimensional images using computerized processing of the captured data. |
46 | $58 | $185 |
| Intravenous infusion, 1 hour or less Administration of medication or fluid directly into a vein for therapeutic, preventive, or diagnostic purposes. The procedure lasts one hour or less. |
45 | $47 | $125 |
| 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. |
45 | $112 | $225 |
| MRI of middle spinal canal, without contrast This procedure uses magnetic resonance imaging to create detailed pictures of the middle section of the spinal canal. It is performed without the use of contrast dye. |
41 | $108 | $670 |
| MRI of upper spine with and without contrast An MRI scan of the upper spinal canal performed both before and after the administration of contrast dye to enhance image detail. |
38 | $229 | $1,297 |
| MRI of lower spine with and without contrast An MRI scan of the lower spinal canal performed both before and after the administration of contrast dye to enhance image detail. |
37 | $229 | $1,285 |
| Intravenous chemotherapy infusion, 1 hour or less Administration of chemotherapy medication directly into a vein. The procedure takes one hour or less to complete. |
36 | $95 | $220 |
| MRI of head blood vessels without contrast An MRI scan that creates detailed images of the blood vessels in the head without using contrast dye. |
35 | $164 | $615 |
| MRI of neck blood vessels with and without contrast This procedure uses magnetic resonance imaging to create detailed pictures of the blood vessels in the neck. Images are taken both before and after the administration of a contrast dye to enhance visibility. |
24 | $263 | $1,070 |
| Intravenous injection of additional new drug or substance Administration of an additional new medication or substance directly into a vein. |
23 | $10 | $34 |
| MRI of spinal canal with and without contrast A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the central spinal canal performed both before and after the administration of contrast dye to enhance image detail. |
21 | $249 | $1,296 |
| Additional hour of intravenous chemotherapy This code represents the administration of chemotherapy medication into a vein for each additional hour beyond the initial period. |
21 | $21 | $50 |
| 3D radiographic procedure A radiographic imaging technique that creates three-dimensional representations of internal structures. |
20 | $19 | $159 |
| MRI of head blood vessels with and without contrast An MRI scan that uses contrast dye to create detailed images of the blood vessels in the head, performed both before and after the dye is administered. |
18 | $258 | $1,070 |
| CT scan of head/brain, without contrast A CT scan uses X-rays to create detailed images of the head or brain without the use of contrast dye. |
12 | $78 | $271 |
| 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. |
12 | $42 | $100 |
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.
3.2% high complexity
92.8% medium
4.0% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$10,560
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,509/year across 7 years
Top 24% in NY for neurology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
78
Companies
550
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
$10,518 (99.6%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$43 (0.4%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,371
2023
$2,528
2022
$1,853
2021
$2,157
2020
$1,230
2019
$1,210
2018
$210
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
MDD US Operations, LLC
$850
UCB, Inc.
$128
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$111
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$45
Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.
$42
ABBVIE INC.
$35
PFIZER INC.
$34
CSL Behring
$26
Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC
$20
HARMONY BIOSCIENCES LLC
$18
Biogen, Inc.
$17
Lundbeck LLC
$16
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$15
Lilly USA, LLC
$15
Top 3 companies account for 79.4% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
MDD US Operations, LLC
$1,136
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$845
SK Life Science, Inc.
$565
Lundbeck LLC
$525
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$504
Amgen Inc.
$485
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$404
UCB, Inc.
$390
ABBVIE INC.
$319
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$267
Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC
$233
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$219
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$213
Abbott Laboratories
$209
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
$204
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$201
Promius Pharma LLC
$177
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$168
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$167
Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$148
PFIZER INC.
$144
Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.
$141
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$139
Eisai Inc.
$138
Allergan Inc.
$136
GENZYME CORPORATION
$132
Allergan, Inc.
$125
Lilly USA, LLC
$121
Harmony Biosciences LLC
$118
MITSUBISHI TANABE PHARMA AMERICA, INC.
$104
CSL Behring
$104
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc
$95
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$88
Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$84
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc
$80
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$79
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$79
Nevro Corp.
$70
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc
$64
Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$61
UPSHER-SMITH LABORATORIES LLC
$59
AbbVie, Inc.
$58
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$53
Neurelis, Inc.
$52
Biogen, Inc.
$47
US WorldMeds, LLC
$46
GE HealthCare
$45
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$45
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$41
Kyowa Kirin, Inc.
$40
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$40
Almatica Pharma LLC
$39
Zyla Life Sciences
$37
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$37
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$32
CATALYST PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$31
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$28
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$26
Corium, LLC
$25
Boston Scientific Corporation
$25
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$20
Octapharma USA, Inc.
$19
HARMONY BIOSCIENCES LLC
$18
USWM, LLC
$18
Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
$18
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$17
Greenwich Biosciences, Inc.
$17
Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$15
Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.
$15
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$15
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$14
BIODELIVERY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
$14
IMPEL PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$14
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$13
Saol Therapeutics Inc.
$13
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$12
Vertical Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$12
GE HEALTHCARE
$7
Top 3 companies account for 24.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADLARITY · AIMOVIG · AJOVY · AMYVID · APOKYN · AUBAGIO · AUSTEDO · AVONEX · Aimovig · Austedo XR · BELBUCA · BOTOX · BOTOX - NEUROLOGY · Belbuca · Briviact · CAMBIA · COMIRNATY · DUOPA · DYSPORT · Duopa · ELYXYB - celecoxib · EMGALITY · EPIDIOLEX · Epidiolex · Eprontia · FIRDAPSE · Fintepla · Fycompa · GILENYA · GOCOVRI · GRALISE · Gocovri · Hizentra · Horizant · INBRIJA · INGREZZA · Infinity DBS Pulse Generators · KESIMPTA · KOSELUGO · KYNMOBI · LEMTRADA · LOREEV XR · LUMIZYME · LYRICA · LYVISPAH · Lioresal (baclofen) · Lucemyra · Lucemyra/Lofexidine · MAYZENT · MOVANTIK · MYOBLOC · Movantik · NORTHERA · NOURIANZ · NUEDEXTA · NUPLAZID · NURTEC ODT · Nayzilam · Neuromodulation Dspsbls and Accs · Nourianz · Nuedexta · OCTAGAM IMMUNE GLOBULIN (HUMAN) · OCTRODE · ONGENTYS · ONPATTRO · OXTELLAR XR · Omnia · Ongentys · PAXLOVID · Ponvory · Proclaim IPG · QALSODY · QULIPTA · Qutenza · RADICAVA · RELEXXII · RELISTOR · REXULTI · RYTARY · Rystiggo · SOLIRIS · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER (REFURBISHED) · SPRIX · SUNOSI · Soliris · Sunosi · TECFIDERA · TEGSEDI · TOSYMRA · TRINTELLIX · TROKENDI XR · Trudhesa · UBRELVY · ULTOMIRIS · VALTOCO · VNS - Sentiva · VNS THERAPY SENTIVA MODEL 1000 GENERATOR · VNS Therapy SenTiva Model 1000 Generator · VYEPTI · WAKIX · WELIREG · Wakix · XADAGO · XTAMPZA · XYWAV · Xeomin · ZEMBRACE SYMTOUCH · ZEPOSIA · ZTLido · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH
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
Neurologists within 10 mi
73
Per 100K population
7.7
County median income
$71,175
Nearest hospital
UPSTATE NEW YORK VA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM (WESTERN NY VA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM)
5.6 mi
5.6 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. Pfiffner is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 12% in NY), with low-engagement industry engagement, with 17 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. Pfiffner experienced with injection, immune globulin, (gamunex-c/gammaked), non-lyophilized (e.g., liquid), 500 mg?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Pfiffner performed 3,060 injection, immune globulin, (gamunex-c/gammaked), non-lyophilized (e.g., liquid), 500 mg 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. Pfiffner receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Pfiffner received a total of $10,560 from 78 companies across 550 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. Pfiffner's costs compare to other neurologists in Buffalo?
Dr. Pfiffner'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. Pfiffner) 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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