Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Mehrdad Ghaffari, M.D.

Pulmonary Disease · Altoona, PA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1414 NINTH AVE, Altoona, PA 16602
8149461655
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1770700718 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. Ghaffari 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. Ghaffari

Dr. Mehrdad Ghaffari is a pulmonary disease specialist in Altoona, PA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ghaffari performed 2,225 Medicare services across 1,789 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ghaffari received a total of $2,647 from 7 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 26 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pulmonary disease. 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. Ghaffari 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.

✓ 19 years in practice ▲ Top 7% volume in PA $2,647 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,225
Medicare services
Top 7% in PA for pulmonary disease
1,789
Unique beneficiaries
$76
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~117 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.
825 $85 $195
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.
298 $51 $105
Sleep study with continuous airway pressure, age 6+
A sleep study conducted in a sleep lab that monitors breathing and other body functions while administering continuous airway pressure. This test is performed on patients aged 6 years or older.
192 $94 $373
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.
192 $104 $269
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.
120 $61 $181
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.
94 $99 $252
Critical care, first 30-74 min
Emergency medical care for a critically ill or injured patient lasting between 30 and 74 minutes. This service involves direct patient care and medical decision making to stabilize the patient.
76 $158 $445
Lung volume test using sensors
A test that measures the amount of air in the lungs using sensors.
75 $36 $93
Pulmonary gas exchange test
A test to examine how well the lungs exchange gases.
75 $37 $81
Spirometry test before and after medication
A test that measures the amount of air you can exhale and the speed of your breathing before and after taking a medication.
74 $27 $100
Sleep study with heart rate and breathing monitoring
A sleep study that monitors heart rate, breathing, airflow, and physical effort during sleep.
47 $34 $90
Smoking cessation counseling, 4-10 minutes
A brief counseling session focused on helping patients quit smoking and tobacco use. The provider spends 4 to 10 minutes discussing strategies and support for cessation.
45 $14 $31
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity
Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
31 $92 $225
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.
23 $6 $52
Bronchial irrigation and suction for cell collection
This procedure uses an endoscope to flush and suction the lung airways in order to collect cells for testing.
18 $38 $583
Initial hospital admission, high complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
15 $135 $304
Sleep study in sleep lab (age 6+)
An overnight test conducted in a sleep laboratory to monitor sleep patterns and bodily functions in patients aged 6 years or older.
14 $92 $346
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.
11 $39 $98
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 ↗
$2,647
Total received (2019-2024)
Avg $529/year across 5 years
Top 40% in PA for pulmonary disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
7
Companies
26
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
$2,524 (95.4%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$123 (4.6%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$64
2023
$1,362
2021
$996
2020
$144
2019
$80

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Curonix LLC
$64
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2019-2024) ›
Pulmonx Corporation
$1,343
Ethicon Inc.
$1,083
Genentech USA, Inc.
$80
Curonix LLC
$64
United Therapeutics Corporation
$43
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$19
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$14
Top 3 companies account for 94.7% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AREXVY · BREZTRI · Monarch Platform · ORENITRAM · PNS FREEDOM-4A PERMANENT NEUROSTIMULATOR RECEIVER KIT CHANNEL A · TYVASO · Xolair · ZEPHYR ENDOBRONCHIAL VALVE
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 (95%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a pulmonary disease specialist in Altoona?
Compare pulmonary diseases in the Altoona area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse pulmonary diseases nearby

Geographic Context

Pulmonary diseases within 10 mi
6
Per 100K population
4.9
County median income
$60,594
Nearest hospital
JAMES E. VAN ZANDT VA MEDICAL CENTER (ALTOONA)
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. Ghaffari is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 7% in PA), with low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 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. Ghaffari experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ghaffari performed 825 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. Ghaffari receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ghaffari received a total of $2,647 from 7 companies across 26 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. Ghaffari's costs compare to other pulmonary diseases in Altoona?
Dr. Ghaffari's average Medicare payment per service is $76. 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. Ghaffari) 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 →