Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Christopher Pieczonka, M.D.
Urology Physician · Syracuse, NY
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice
— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Speaking/Promotional
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. Pieczonka 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. Pieczonka
Dr. Christopher Pieczonka is an urology physician in Syracuse, NY, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Pieczonka performed 31,033 Medicare services across 2,890 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Pieczonka received a total of $725,007 from 72 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 1100 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urology physician. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Pieczonka 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 3% volume in NY
$725,007 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗31,033
Medicare services
Top 3% in NY for urology physician
2,890
Unique beneficiaries
$20
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~1,552 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denosumab injection (Prolia/Xgeva) | 17,280 | $18 | $42 |
| Contrast dye for imaging (iodine-based) A contrast agent containing 300-399 mg/ml of iodine used to enhance imaging studies. It is administered per milliliter to improve the visibility of internal structures. |
3,100 | $0 | $2 |
| Injection, degarelix, 1 mg | 3,040 | $3 | $10 |
| BCG treatment for bladder cancer | 1,800 | $2 | $6 |
| 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. |
1,012 | $2 | $12 |
| Leuprolide injectable, camcevi, 1 mg | 1,008 | $63 | $197 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
901 | $8 | $11 |
| 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. |
552 | $91 | $265 |
| 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. |
516 | $61 | $180 |
| Leuprolide acetate (for depot suspension), 7.5 mg | 474 | $136 | $1,500 |
| Chronic care management, first 20 min/month This service covers the first 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional each calendar month to manage chronic conditions. |
265 | $48 | $124 |
| 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. |
164 | $11 | $62 |
| Subcutaneous or intramuscular chemotherapy injection This procedure involves administering anti-cancer hormonal medication through an injection into the tissue under the skin or into a muscle. |
139 | $26 | $79 |
| Bladder ultrasound after voiding An ultrasound scan performed after urination to measure the amount of urine remaining in the bladder. |
99 | $7 | $46 |
| Principal care management for high-risk disease, first 30 minutes This service covers the initial 30 minutes of clinical staff time per calendar month to manage a single high-risk disease. It is directed by a healthcare professional. |
95 | $47 | $123 |
| Chronic care management, additional 20 min/month This service covers an extra 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional for managing two or more chronic conditions each calendar month. |
71 | $36 | $94 |
| 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. |
67 | $40 | $105 |
| Complete ultrasound of retroperitoneum An ultrasound examination of the structures located behind the abdominal cavity. |
65 | $50 | $184 |
| Cystourethroscopy A diagnostic exam of the bladder and urethra using an endoscope to visually inspect the urinary tract. |
60 | $176 | $730 |
| Bladder instillation of anti-cancer drug A procedure where an anti-cancer medication is introduced directly into the bladder. This method delivers the treatment locally to the bladder tissue. |
43 | $67 | $215 |
| 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 | $136 | $355 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
36 | $61 | $183 |
| Limited retroperitoneal ultrasound A focused ultrasound exam of the area behind the abdominal cavity to evaluate specific structures. |
29 | $21 | $130 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 5-10 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 5 and 10 minutes to discuss medical matters. |
29 | $41 | $111 |
| CT scan of abdomen and pelvis with contrast A CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis using contrast dye before and after administration to visualize internal structures. |
23 | $193 | $675 |
| Simple insertion of temporary bladder tube A procedure to place a temporary tube into the bladder. This allows for the drainage of urine from the bladder. |
22 | $46 | $153 |
| CT scan of abdomen and pelvis, without contrast A computed tomography scan that creates detailed images of the abdominal and pelvic organs. The procedure is performed without the use of intravenous contrast dye. |
20 | $79 | $271 |
| Non-needle muscle activity measurement of bladder and bowel openings This procedure measures and records the electrical activity of muscles at the bladder and bowel openings without using needles. |
19 | $16 | $241 |
| Electronic assessment of bladder emptying A test that uses electronic monitoring to evaluate how well the bladder empties urine. |
16 | $5 | $84 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 21-30 minutes A telephone conversation with a physician lasting between 21 and 30 minutes. This code covers the time spent discussing medical matters over the phone. |
13 | $89 | $267 |
| Complex urodynamic pressure flow study A test that measures the pressure of urine flow in the bladder during voiding to evaluate how well the bladder and urethra are functioning. |
12 | $202 | $573 |
| Abdominal device insertion with pressure and urine flow study A procedure involving the placement of a device into the abdomen, accompanied by a study to measure pressure and urine flow rate. |
12 | $117 | $302 |
| 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. |
11 | $119 | $400 |
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 ↗$725,007
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $103,572/year across 7 years
Top 0% in NY for urology physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
72
Companies
1,100
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.
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$466,587 (64.4%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$136,075 (18.8%)
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$108,181 (14.9%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$7,338 (1.0%)
Other
Charitable contributions, space rental, and other categories
$6,827 (0.9%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$116,677
2023
$135,551
2022
$102,735
2021
$70,216
2020
$64,461
2019
$84,052
2018
$151,314
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$35,974
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$19,531
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$18,087
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$15,259
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$10,875
Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC
$3,686
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$3,193
UROGEN PHARMA, INC.
$3,052
Telix Pharmaceuticals
$1,908
IMMUNITYBIO, INC.
$1,718
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$1,560
PFIZER INC.
$565
Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc.
$316
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$148
ACCORD HEALTHCARE, INC.
$139
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$125
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$112
COLOPLAST CORP
$99
SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INC.
$80
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$54
ABBVIE INC.
$44
Olympus America Inc.
$28
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$23
DENTSPLY IH Inc.
$22
Endo USA, Inc.
$22
Blue Earth Diagnostics Limited
$20
Astellas Pharma Global Development
$17
BIOPROTECT MEDICAL, INC.
$14
Ambu Inc.
$6
Top 3 companies account for 63.1% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$130,202
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$109,815
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$89,116
Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC
$55,782
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$42,077
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$37,285
PFIZER INC.
$36,826
Myovant Sciences Inc.
$36,323
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$28,148
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$25,571
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$23,671
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$22,196
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$15,093
SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INC.
$12,031
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$6,769
TOLMAR Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$6,492
NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
$6,482
Boston Scientific Corporation
$5,238
Eli Lilly and Company
$4,578
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$3,640
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$3,616
UROGEN PHARMA, INC.
$3,124
AstraZeneca UK Limited
$2,675
Lilly USA, LLC
$2,100
Telix Pharmaceuticals
$1,942
Blue Earth Diagnostics Limited
$1,720
IMMUNITYBIO, INC.
$1,718
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$1,650
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$1,560
Exelixis Inc.
$1,470
NeoTract Inc.
$850
Foundation Medicine, Inc.
$829
Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc.
$751
Medtronic, Inc.
$562
ACCORD HEALTHCARE, INC.
$388
Palette Life Sciences, Inc.
$331
Amgen Inc.
$295
Coloplast Corp
$205
180 Medical, Inc.
$177
UroGen Pharma, Inc.
$161
Avadel Specialty Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$157
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$125
Teleflex LLC
$119
Accord Healthcare, Inc.
$115
COLOPLAST CORP
$99
C. R. BARD, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES
$98
Olympus America Inc.
$86
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$82
UROVANT SCIENCES INC
$81
ABBVIE INC.
$63
AbbVie, Inc.
$60
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$54
Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$46
Mission Pharmacal Company
$43
Ethicon US, LLC
$40
Laborie Medical Technologies Corp.
$30
Clarus Therapeutics Inc.
$29
DENTSPLY IH Inc.
$22
Endo USA, Inc.
$22
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$22
GENZYME CORPORATION
$20
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$17
Astellas Pharma Global Development
$17
Tolmar, Inc.
$16
BIOPROTECT MEDICAL, INC.
$14
Retrophin, Inc.
$14
DENTSPLY IH AB
$14
AbbVie Inc.
$12
Travere Therapeutics, Inc.
$12
PALETTE LIFE SCIENCES, INC.
$11
Ambu Inc.
$6
NxThera, Inc.
$3
Top 3 companies account for 45.4% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(815) Thiola · ADSTILADRIN · ALTIS · ANKTIVA · AVEED · Androgel · Axumin · BIOPROTECT BALLOON IMPLANT SYSTEM · BOTOX · Balversa · CABOMETYX · CAMCEVI · ELIGARD · ERLEADA · Erleada · FIRMAGON · FOUNDATIONONE · FOUNDATIONONE CDX · GEMTESA · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL - THERAPIES · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENTLECATH · GENTLECATH GLIDE · GentleCath · ILLUCCIX · IMFINZI · INTERSTIM · JATENZO · JELMYTO · JEVTANA · JYNARQUE · KEYTRUDA · LOFRIC · LUPRON DEPOT · LYNPARZA · LoFric · Lupron · Lupron Depot · MYRBETRIQ · Myrbetriq · Noctiva · Nubeqa · OPDIVO · ORGOVYX · PLUVICTO · POSLUMA · PREMARIN · PROLARIS · PROVENGE · Prolaris · Prolia · Rezum · SELF CATH · SOMATOM go.Top · SPEEDICATH · SUTENT · SpeediCath · TALZENNA · TITAN · TOVIAZ · Trelstar · UROLIFT · Uribel · UroLift · Urocit-K · VESICARE · VISTASEAL · XGEVA · XIAFLEX · XTANDI · XYOSTED · Xofigo · Xtandi · YONSA · iTIND System
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 (64%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in urology physician and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 0% for urology physician in NY.
Geographic Context
Urology physicians within 10 mi
61
Per 100K population
12.9
County median income
$74,740
Nearest hospital
CROUSE 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. Pieczonka is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 3% in NY), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 0% of NY peers, 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. Pieczonka experienced with denosumab injection (prolia/xgeva)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Pieczonka performed 17,280 denosumab injection (prolia/xgeva) 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. Pieczonka receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Pieczonka received a total of $725,007 from 72 companies across 1,100 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. Pieczonka's costs compare to other urology physicians in Syracuse?
Dr. Pieczonka's average Medicare payment per service is $20. 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. Pieczonka) 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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