Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Rajih Alkhafaji, M.D.

Gastroenterology · Altoona, PA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
810 VALLEY VIEW BLVD, Altoona, PA 16602
8149465469
Registered in NPPES since 2006
NPI: 1932133493 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. Alkhafaji 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. Alkhafaji

Dr. Rajih Alkhafaji is a gastroenterology specialist in Altoona, PA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Alkhafaji performed 1,362 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Alkhafaji received a total of $2,749 from 31 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 132 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly reported through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their effect on care. A reliable breakdown by payment category is not available in this snapshot. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Alkhafaji 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 of NPI registration ▲ Top 9% volume in PA $2,749 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary — 2023

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,362
Medicare services
Top 9% in PA for gastroenterology
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$67
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →

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
Tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity
A laboratory test where a pathologist examines tissue samples under a microscope to analyze cellular details. This intermediate complexity procedure involves specialized techniques to identify abnormalities in the tissue.
398 $25 $92
Special stain test for organisms
A laboratory test using special stains on tissue slides to identify microorganisms. The process includes the technical preparation of the slides and a professional interpretation of the results.
166 $64 $106
Special tissue stain and interpretation
A laboratory test using special stains to examine tissue samples, including the pathologist's review and written report of the findings.
124 $52 $117
Upper GI endoscopy with biopsy
A procedure to collect tissue samples from the esophagus, stomach, or upper small intestine using a flexible tube with a camera. The samples are examined to check for abnormalities.
120 $84 $900
Colon polyp removal with endoscopic snare
This procedure removes polyps or growths from the large bowel using a flexible tube with a camera and a wire loop tool. The snare is used to cut off the growths during the examination.
88 $205 $1,534
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.
58 $8 $29
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.
55 $69 $179
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.
53 $114 $329
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.
53 $88 $254
Colonoscopy with biopsy
A procedure to collect tissue samples from the large intestine using a flexible tube with a camera. The samples are examined to check for abnormalities or disease.
51 $81 $1,125
Dilation of esophagus 30 $31 $276
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.
30 $78 $232
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.
28 $39 $72
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.
25 $102 $200
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.
25 $62 $106
Colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening, high risk
A colonoscopy performed to screen for colorectal cancer in individuals identified as being at high risk for the disease.
20 $172 $1,020
Colonoscopy
A diagnostic exam of the large bowel using a flexible endoscope to visualize the interior of the colon.
19 $143 $1,003
Intravenous chemotherapy infusion, 1 hour or less
Administration of chemotherapy medication directly into a vein. The procedure takes one hour or less to complete.
19 $99 $417
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. These counts do not measure clinical quality or years of experience.
1.4% high complexity
15.4% medium
83.2% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$2,749
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $393/year across 7 years
Top 44% in PA for gastroenterology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
31
Companies
132
Payment records
Payments are publicly reported; disclosure does not establish legality · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →

Payment categories are unavailable while the source breakdown is being rebuilt. Company and year totals do not identify how much belongs to each category.

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$502
2023
$621
2022
$397
2021
$680
2020
$356
2019
$69
2018
$124

Payments by company (2024)

ABBVIE INC.
$293
GENZYME CORPORATION
$55
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$41
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$32
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc
$25
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$20
Braintree Laboratories, Inc.
$20
PFIZER INC.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 77.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
AbbVie Inc.
$554
ABBVIE INC.
$509
Actuated Medical, Inc.
$500
Celgene Corporation
$173
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$170
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$99
AbbVie, Inc.
$80
PFIZER INC.
$71
BioFire Diagnostics, LLC
$60
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$57
GENZYME CORPORATION
$55
Allergan Inc.
$48
Boston Scientific Corporation
$34
Ardelyx, Inc.
$32
Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$29
Medtronic, Inc.
$27
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc
$25
Alfasigma USA, Inc.
$25
Meridian Bioscience Inc.
$25
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$24
FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc.
$21
Braintree Laboratories, Inc.
$20
Cook Medical LLC
$16
UCB, Inc.
$15
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$15
Shionogi Inc
$15
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$14
Axonics, Inc.
$13
IRONWOOD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
$13
Amgen Inc.
$11
Retrophin, Inc.
$1
Top 3 companies account for 56.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(820) Cholbam · AVSOLA · Axonics · BioFire FilmArray · CLENPIQ · COOK MEDICAL HEMOSPRAY · CREON · Cimzia · DIFICID · DUPIXENT · ENTYVIO · ESD - Core Endoscopy · GI Genius · HUMIRA · IBSRELA · INFLECTRA · IQIRVO · LINZESS · Linzess · MAVYRET · Mavyret · Mulpleta · OCALIVA · REMICADE · RINVOQ · SKYRIZI · STELARA · SUTAB · TRULANCE · VELSIPITY · VIBERZI · WATCHMAN · XELJANZ · ZEPOSIA
Should you be concerned? Industry payments are disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their purpose, legality, or effect on care. 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 →
Looking for a gastroenterology specialist in Altoona?
Compare gastroenterologists in the Altoona area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse gastroenterologists nearby

Geographic Context

Gastroenterologists in nearby ZIP areas
11
County median income
$60,594
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
JAMES E. VAN ZANDT VA MEDICAL CENTER (ALTOONA)
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPES NPPES snapshot; verify current record
Medicare Enrollment PECOS PECOS snapshot
Practice Data Medicare Util. Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open Payments CY 2024
Disciplinary History — Not included 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. Alkhafaji is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 9% in PA), 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. Alkhafaji experienced with tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Alkhafaji performed 398 tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity services. These records cover Medicare fee-for-service activity, including eligible younger beneficiaries; they do not measure total practice volume or clinical quality.
Does Dr. Alkhafaji receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Alkhafaji received a total of $2,749 from 31 companies across 132 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their legality or effect on care. 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. Alkhafaji's costs compare to other gastroenterologists in Altoona?
Dr. Alkhafaji's average Medicare payment per service is $67. 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. Alkhafaji) 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 the presence of registry, enrollment, activity or payment records, not verified experience or clinical quality. 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?
Source publication dates and the snapshots loaded on this site can differ. Rebuilding a page does not refresh its source records. Check the Medicare reporting year and the payment interval shown above; consult the linked official sources for newer releases and current registry details. See our data freshness policy →
About this page

This page combines public CMS records with calculated summaries and explanatory procedure labels. These transformations are not verbatim federal records. Sources: 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. Industry payment disclosure alone establishes neither wrongdoing nor legality. 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 →