Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Frank Vargo, D.P.M.

Foot Surgery Podiatrist · Strongsville, OH
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
18181 PEARL RD, Strongsville, OH 44136
4408164999
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1659373496 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. Vargo 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. Vargo

Dr. Frank Vargo is a foot surgery podiatrist in Strongsville, OH, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Vargo performed 839 Medicare services across 468 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Vargo received a total of $2,657 from 22 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 66 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in foot surgery podiatrist. 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. Vargo 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 50% volume in OH $2,657 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
839
Medicare services
Top 50% in OH for foot surgery podiatrist
468
Unique beneficiaries
$40
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~42 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
Toenail/fingernail removal, 6+ nails
Surgical removal of six or more fingernails or toenails. This procedure involves the excision of multiple nails during a single session.
420 $30 $55
Removal of thickened skin growths, 2-4
This procedure involves the removal of two to four benign, thickened skin growths. It is a minor surgical intervention to eliminate non-cancerous skin lesions.
108 $55 $80
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.
87 $62 $90
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.
70 $73 $135
Foot X-ray, 3+ views
An X-ray imaging test of the foot that captures at least three different views to evaluate the bones and joints.
68 $21 $70
Removal of noncancer thickened skin growth, 1 growth
This procedure involves the removal of a single benign, thickened skin growth. It is a minor surgical intervention to eliminate the lesion.
47 $49 $70
Toenail/fingernail removal, 1-5 nails
This procedure involves the removal of one to five fingernails or toenails.
27 $20 $40
Ankle X-ray, minimum 3 views
An X-ray imaging test of the ankle that captures at least three different angles to evaluate the bones and joints.
12 $19 $70
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 ↗
$2,657
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $443/year across 6 years
Top 19% in OH for foot surgery podiatrist
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
22
Companies
66
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
$2,629 (99.0%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$28 (1.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$49
2023
$364
2022
$188
2020
$13
2019
$1,059
2018
$983

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
TREACE MEDICAL CONCEPTS, INC.
$29
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$21
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Treace Medical Concepts, Inc.
$1,164
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$286
PFIZER INC.
$170
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$167
Wright Medical Technology, Inc.
$152
Horizon Pharma plc
$139
TREACE MEDICAL CONCEPTS, INC.
$131
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$88
Organogenesis Inc.
$72
Stryker Corporation
$55
Ortho Dermatologics, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$34
Bioventus LLC
$29
Zyla Life Sciences
$28
Nevro Corp.
$28
ConvaTec Inc.
$20
TRIAD LIFE SCIENCES INC.
$15
Checkpoint Surgical, Inc
$15
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$14
ROCK MEDICAL ORTHOPEDICS, INC.
$14
Sandoz Inc.
$13
Paragon 28, Inc.
$11
Dynasplint Systems Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 61.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ANCHORAGE · AUSTEDO · Apligraf · CHANTIX · CHARLOTTE · Checkpoint Stimulators · DYNASPLINT · EUCRISA · Exogen · Exogen Ultrasound Bone Healing System · INNOVAMATRIX AC · JUBLIA · KERYDIN · KRYSTEXXA · LAPIPLASTY SYSTEM · LYRICA · Lapidus System · Lapiplasty System · NUZYRA · ORTHOLOC · ORTHOLOC 2 LAPIFUSE · Physio-Stim · RAYOS · Senza · Triplanar Fixation System · VARIAX · ZORVOLEX
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 (99%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a foot surgery podiatrist in Strongsville?
Compare foot surgery podiatrists in the Strongsville area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse foot surgery podiatrists nearby

Geographic Context

Foot surgery podiatrists within 10 mi
20
Per 100K population
1.6
County median income
$62,823
Nearest hospital
SOUTHWEST GENERAL HEALTH CENTER
4.6 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. Vargo is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 19% of OH 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. Vargo experienced with toenail/fingernail removal, 6+ nails?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Vargo performed 420 toenail/fingernail removal, 6+ nails 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. Vargo receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Vargo received a total of $2,657 from 22 companies across 66 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. Vargo's costs compare to other foot surgery podiatrists in Strongsville?
Dr. Vargo's average Medicare payment per service is $40. 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. Vargo) 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 →