Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Melissa Helton, NP-C
Nurse Practitioner - Family · Cincinnati, OH
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. Helton 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. Helton
Dr. Melissa Helton is a nurse practitioner - family in Cincinnati, OH, with 8 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Helton performed 1,274 Medicare services across 1,054 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Helton received a total of $8,329 from 44 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 380 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in nurse practitioner - family. 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. Helton 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.
✓ 8 years in practice
▲ Top 4% volume in OH
$8,329 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,274
Medicare services
Top 4% in OH for nurse practitioner - family
1,054
Unique beneficiaries
$39
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~159 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urinalysis, manual A manual laboratory examination of a urine sample to check for various substances and cells. |
287 | $3 | $24 |
| 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. |
287 | $74 | $238 |
| 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. |
101 | $48 | $182 |
| Bladder ultrasound after voiding An ultrasound scan performed after urination to measure the amount of urine remaining in the bladder. |
81 | $8 | $94 |
| 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. |
64 | $87 | $318 |
| Urine culture, bacterial colony count A laboratory test that measures the number of bacteria growing in a urine sample to help identify infections. |
59 | $8 | $43 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service. |
57 | $53 | $149 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an established patient with straightforward or low-level medical decision making. The visit requires at least 25 minutes of time spent on the day of service. |
54 | $33 | $112 |
| Urine culture, bacterial identification A laboratory test that grows and identifies bacteria from a urine sample to detect infections. |
45 | $8 | $39 |
| 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. |
41 | $40 | $206 |
| 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. |
35 | $70 | $284 |
| Bacterial culture, aerobic A laboratory test that grows and identifies bacteria capable of surviving in oxygen. The results help determine the presence of specific aerobic microorganisms. |
28 | $8 | $105 |
| Antibiotic sensitivity test A laboratory test that determines which antibiotics, antifungals, or antivirals are effective against a specific microorganism using microdilution or agar dilution methods. |
28 | $8 | $105 |
| 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. |
27 | $98 | $381 |
| Initial hospital admission, low complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving straightforward or low-level medical decision making, with at least 40 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
23 | $56 | $202 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
19 | $8 | $32 |
| PSA test (prostate cancer screening) | 14 | $18 | $71 |
| 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 | $118 | $702 |
| Electronic assessment of bladder emptying A test that uses electronic monitoring to evaluate how well the bladder empties urine. |
12 | $5 | $247 |
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 ↗$8,329
Total received (2021-2024)
Avg $2,082/year across 4 years
Top 2% in OH for nurse practitioner - family
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
44
Companies
380
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
$8,150 (97.9%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$179 (2.1%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$2,160
2023
$2,191
2022
$1,891
2021
$2,086
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boston Scientific Corporation
$773
ABBVIE INC.
$459
Endo USA, Inc.
$163
PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation
$145
COLOPLAST CORP
$83
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$68
UROGEN PHARMA, INC.
$68
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$53
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$51
Tolmar, Inc.
$48
IMMUNITYBIO, INC.
$39
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$35
Axonics, Inc.
$34
ACCORD HEALTHCARE, INC.
$34
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$26
Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC
$24
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$21
SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INC.
$21
PFIZER INC.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 64.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2021-2024) ›
Boston Scientific Corporation
$917
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$716
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$607
ABBVIE INC.
$567
Teleflex LLC
$396
Coloplast Corp
$360
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$344
Axonics, Inc.
$333
UroGen Pharma, Inc.
$293
Medtronic, Inc.
$268
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$248
COLOPLAST CORP
$231
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$227
Clarus Therapeutics Inc.
$213
PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation
$190
ConvaTec Inc.
$165
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$164
Endo USA, Inc.
$163
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$163
UROGEN PHARMA, INC.
$131
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$128
UROVANT SCIENCES INC
$126
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$124
Myovant Sciences Inc.
$120
ACCORD HEALTHCARE, INC.
$117
Blue Earth Diagnostics Limited
$107
Tolmar, Inc.
$105
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$100
PFIZER INC.
$97
Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC
$92
Hollister Incorporated
$68
Allergan, Inc.
$62
Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$57
TOLMAR Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$55
IMMUNITYBIO, INC.
$39
SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INC.
$38
DENTSPLY IH Inc.
$37
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$35
Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$31
Baxter Healthcare
$24
DENTSPLY IH AB
$22
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$19
GENZYME CORPORATION
$16
Mission Pharmacal Company
$12
Top 3 companies account for 26.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AMS 700 · AMS 700 CXR RTE Kit · ANKTIVA · AQUABEAM ROBOTIC SYSTEM · AQUABEAM SYSTEM · AVEED · Axonics · Axumin · BOTOX · CAMCEVI · CEREC · EDEX · ELIGARD · ERLEADA · FLOSEAL · GEMTESA · GENTLECATH · General - Erectile Dysfunction · INTERSTIM · Infyna Chic · JATENZO · JELMYTO · JEVTANA · KEYTRUDA · LYNPARZA · LoFric · MYRBETRIQ · Myrbetriq · NANOKNIFE · NOCDURNA · Natesto · Nubeqa · ORGOVYX · PROVENGE · PYLARIFY · Peristeen · STRAVIX · SpeediCath · Titan · UROLIFT · Uribel · UroLift System · VaPro Plus Pocket · XIAFLEX · XTANDI · XYOSTED · Xofigo · Xtandi · YONSA
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 (98%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for nurse practitioner - family in OH.
Geographic Context
Family nurse practitioners within 10 mi
1,336
Per 100K population
161.4
County median income
$70,816
Nearest hospital
MERCY HEALTH - WEST 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. Helton is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 4% in OH), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 2% of OH peers.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Helton experienced with urinalysis, manual?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Helton performed 287 urinalysis, manual 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. Helton receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Helton received a total of $8,329 from 44 companies across 380 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. Helton's costs compare to other family nurse practitioners in Cincinnati?
Dr. Helton's average Medicare payment per service is $39. 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. Helton) 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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