Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Robert Pickeral, PAC
Medical Physician Assistant · Watertown, NY
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
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. Pickeral 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. Pickeral
Dr. Robert Pickeral is a medical physician assistant in Watertown, NY, with 6 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Pickeral performed 1,604 Medicare services across 1,299 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Pickeral received a total of $2,189 from 21 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 65 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. Pickeral 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.
✓ 6 years in practice
▲ Top 5% volume in NY
$2,189 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,604
Medicare services
Top 5% in NY for medical physician assistant
1,299
Unique beneficiaries
$30
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
234 | $68 | $150 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
201 | $8 | $9 |
| Complete blood count (CBC) with differential An automated laboratory test that measures the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the blood, including a breakdown of the different types of white blood cells. |
158 | $7 | $25 |
| 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. |
151 | $47 | $114 |
| Basic metabolic blood panel A blood test that measures a group of basic chemicals, including total calcium levels. |
96 | $8 | $45 |
| Comprehensive metabolic blood panel A blood test that measures a group of chemicals, including glucose, electrolytes, and kidney and liver function markers. |
87 | $10 | $52 |
| Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides) A blood test that measures cholesterol and triglyceride levels. |
75 | $13 | $65 |
| Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) A blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. |
63 | $10 | $50 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up A follow-up annual wellness visit that includes a personalized prevention plan of service. |
63 | $106 | $182 |
| Annual depression screening | 62 | $15 | $20 |
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test A blood test that measures the level of thyroid stimulating hormone to evaluate thyroid function. |
54 | $16 | $70 |
| 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. |
44 | $28 | $80 |
| Nursing facility visit, moderate complexity A follow-up visit by a healthcare provider at a nursing facility for an established patient. The visit involves moderate medical decision making and takes at least 30 minutes. |
42 | $47 | $110 |
| Flu vaccine administration This procedure involves the administration of the influenza virus vaccine. It covers the process of delivering the vaccine to the patient. |
27 | $30 | $32 |
| Flu vaccine, quadrivalent A flu shot containing four strains of the influenza virus to help prevent seasonal influenza infection. |
23 | $70 | $75 |
| Urinalysis, manual A manual laboratory examination of a urine sample to check for various substances and cells. |
22 | $3 | $12 |
| Urine microalbumin test (kidney screening) A laboratory test that measures the amount of microalbumin, a small protein, in a urine sample. This test is used to detect early signs of kidney damage. |
22 | $6 | $15 |
| Creatinine test (kidney function) A blood test that measures the amount of creatinine to assess kidney function or detect muscle injury. |
22 | $5 | $12 |
| Liver stiffness measurement A non-invasive test that uses ultrasound or similar technology to measure the stiffness of liver tissue. This measurement helps assess the degree of liver fibrosis or scarring. |
22 | $19 | $100 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
22 | $6 | $75 |
| Free thyroxine (T4) test A blood test that measures the level of free thyroxine, a thyroid hormone, in the bloodstream. |
21 | $9 | $40 |
| PSA test (prostate cancer screening) A blood test that measures the level of prostate-specific antigen to screen for prostate cancer. |
19 | $19 | $75 |
| Skin biopsy, tangential A procedure to remove a sample of the first identified skin growth for laboratory examination. |
13 | $47 | $135 |
| Magnesium level test A blood test to measure the amount of magnesium in your body. This helps check for magnesium deficiency or excess. |
13 | $7 | $22 |
| Transitional care management services, moderate complexity Services provided to coordinate care during the transition from an inpatient or other facility setting back to the community. This includes follow-up and management of a health problem of at least moderate complexity. |
13 | $133 | $213 |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test A blood test that measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a test tube to detect inflammation in the body. This specific method is performed manually rather than using an automated machine. |
12 | $4 | $24 |
| Expiratory airflow and volume test A test that measures the amount of air you can exhale and the speed at which you can breathe it out. It evaluates lung function by assessing expiratory airflow and volume. |
12 | $16 | $60 |
| Vitamin D level test A blood test to measure the amount of Vitamin D-3 in your body. |
11 | $29 | $50 |
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 ↗$2,189
Total received (2021-2024)
Avg $547/year across 4 years
Top 18% in NY for medical physician assistant
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
21
Companies
65
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
$2,189 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,021
2023
$740
2022
$165
2021
$263
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$283
Novo Nordisk Inc
$202
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals
$196
PFIZER INC.
$52
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$43
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$40
Amgen Inc.
$39
Lilly USA, LLC
$39
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$23
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$21
Dexcom, Inc.
$19
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$17
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$16
Lundbeck LLC
$16
SHIELD THERAPEUTICS INC
$14
Top 3 companies account for 66.7% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2021-2024) ›
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$668
Novo Nordisk Inc
$384
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals
$196
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$188
Lilly USA, LLC
$141
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$113
PFIZER INC.
$67
Amgen Inc.
$65
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$64
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$52
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$41
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$40
Dexcom, Inc.
$37
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$23
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$21
Lundbeck LLC
$16
ABBVIE INC.
$15
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$15
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
Shield Therapeutics Inc
$14
SHIELD THERAPEUTICS INC
$14
Top 3 companies account for 57.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCRUFER · AIRSUPRA · BELSOMRA · BREZTRI · Dexcom G6 Transmitter · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · EVENITY · FARXIGA · GARDASIL · GEMTESA · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · MOUNJARO · Otezla · Ozempic · PAXLOVID · RESMETIROM · REXULTI · REZDIFFRA · RYBELSUS · Rybelsus · SHINGRIX · Saxenda · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · VIBERZI · VOQUEZNA · Wegovy · XARELTO
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
Medical physician assistants within 10 mi
28
Per 100K population
24.1
County median income
$64,978
Nearest hospital
SAMARITAN MEDICAL CENTER
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. Pickeral is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 5% in NY), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 18% of NY peers.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Pickeral experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Pickeral performed 234 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. Pickeral receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Pickeral received a total of $2,189 from 21 companies across 65 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. Pickeral's costs compare to other medical physician assistants in Watertown?
Dr. Pickeral's average Medicare payment per service is $30. 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. Pickeral) 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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