Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Walter Rizzoni

Thoracic Surgery · Erie, PA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
120 E 2ND ST, Erie, PA 16507
8148775600
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1942245386 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. Rizzoni 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. Rizzoni

Dr. Walter Rizzoni is a thoracic surgery specialist in Erie, PA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Rizzoni performed 524 Medicare services across 455 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Rizzoni received a total of $9,830 from 26 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 128 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. 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. Rizzoni 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 6% volume in PA $9,830 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
524
Medicare services
Top 6% in PA for thoracic surgery
455
Unique beneficiaries
$62
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~26 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 (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.
129 $63 $149
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.
59 $60 $166
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.
54 $117 $220
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.
42 $96 $302
Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes
Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older.
37 $9 $50
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.
37 $89 $210
Telephone medical discussion, 5-10 minutes
A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 5 and 10 minutes to discuss medical matters.
33 $31 $46
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.
31 $78 $141
Ultrasound guidance for blood vessel access
Use of ultrasound imaging to help locate and access a blood vessel. This guidance assists healthcare providers in performing procedures such as inserting IV lines or drawing blood.
24 $11 $50
Radiologist review of arm or leg artery image
A radiologist reviews images of the arteries in the arm or leg. This process involves analyzing the visual data to assess the blood vessels.
19 $63 $300
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.
19 $43 $85
Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral
An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck.
18 $24 $167
Radiologist review of abdominal aorta image
A radiologist reviews images of the abdominal aorta to evaluate the blood vessel.
11 $52 $300
Ultrasound of arm or leg veins
An ultrasound exam of the veins in one arm or leg using compression and other maneuvers to assess blood flow and check for blockages.
11 $15 $103
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 ↗
$9,830
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,404/year across 7 years
Top 31% in PA for thoracic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
26
Companies
128
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
$9,830 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,227
2023
$2,061
2022
$1,106
2021
$830
2020
$674
2019
$2,220
2018
$1,710

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Silk Road Medical, Inc.
$303
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$176
Abbott Laboratories
$144
Endologix LLC
$126
Haemonetics Corporation
$121
Getinge USA Sales, LLC
$111
ABIOMED
$110
Medtronic, Inc.
$59
Ethicon US, LLC
$31
Inari Medical, Inc.
$30
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 50.8% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$2,265
Silk Road Medical, Inc.
$2,202
Endologix, Inc.
$929
Endologix LLC
$800
Maquet Cardiovascular U.S. Sales, L.L.C.
$448
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$364
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$349
Medtronic, Inc.
$339
LeMaitre Vascular, Inc.
$323
ABIOMED
$314
Abbott Laboratories
$282
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$188
Endologix, LLC
$136
Haemonetics Corporation
$121
Boston Scientific Corporation
$112
Getinge USA Sales, LLC
$111
Cook Medical LLC
$108
Imperative Care, Inc
$105
Kerecis Limited
$100
KCI USA, Inc.
$93
Cardinal Health 200 LLC
$40
Ethicon US, LLC
$31
Inari Medical, Inc.
$30
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$15
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$13
Aziyo Biologics, Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 54.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(6536) Phoenix · 103CM · AFX · AFX2 Bifurcated Endograft System · ARTEGRAFT VASCULAR GRAFT · Acrobat · Acrobat-I Stabilizer · Alto Abdominal Stent Graft System · Aptus Heli-FX · CARDIOHELP · COOK MEDICAL THORACIC · Conformable TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · CoreValve Evolut · ECM · ELUVIA · ENDURANT IIS · ENROUTE Enflate Transcarotid RX Balloon Dilatation Catheter · ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System · ENROUTE Transcarotid Stent · ESPRIT · EVARREST · EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis · EXCLUDER Conformable AAA Endoprosthesis with Active Control · EXCLUDER Iliac Branch Endoprosthesis · Endurant · FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER · GORE EXCLUDER Iliac Branch Endoprosthesis · GORE TAG Conformable Thoracic Endoprosthesis · GORE TAG Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis · GORE TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · GORE VIABAHN VBX Balloon Expandable Endo · GRAFIX PL · General - Balloons · HYDRO LEMAITRE VALVULOTOME · INSPIRIS RESILIA AORTIC VALVE · Impella · JETI PERIPHERAL CATHETER · Kerecis Omega3 Wound · MITRIS RESILIA Mitral Valve · MYNX CONTROLTM · Mosaic · Ovation · PATCH · PLEDGET AND INTRACARDIAC · ROSEN · Ranger · S · TEG5000 HEMOSTASIS ANALYZER · TYKE · Torus Stent Graft System · V.A.C. VERAFLO · VIABAHN Endoprosthesis · Valiant Navion · XARELTO · ZOOM RDL RADIAL ACCESS SYSTEM · iCAST
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.

Looking for a thoracic surgery specialist in Erie?
Compare thoracic surgerists in the Erie area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Thoracic surgerists within 10 mi
13
Per 100K population
4.8
County median income
$61,476
Nearest hospital
UPMC HAMOT
0.4 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. Rizzoni is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 6% in PA), with low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Rizzoni experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Rizzoni performed 129 office visit, established patient (20-29 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. Rizzoni receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Rizzoni received a total of $9,830 from 26 companies across 128 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. Rizzoni's costs compare to other thoracic surgerists in Erie?
Dr. Rizzoni's average Medicare payment per service is $62. 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. Rizzoni) 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 →