Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Joshua Heller, M.D.
Neurological Surgery · Philadelphia, PA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
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. Heller 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 →
Are you Dr. Heller?
Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →
What this data tells you about Dr. Heller
Dr. Joshua Heller is a neurological surgery specialist in Philadelphia, PA, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Heller performed 1,198 Medicare services across 857 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Heller received a total of $523,930 from 32 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 653 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Heller 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.
✓ 17 years in practice
▲ Top 2% volume in PA
$523,930 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,198
Medicare services
Top 2% in PA for neurological surgery
857
Unique beneficiaries
$244
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~70 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. |
252 | $88 | $275 |
| 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. |
217 | $60 | $190 |
| Spinal fusion of additional segment A surgical procedure to join an additional section of the spine to the existing fusion. This is performed as a separate or subsequent step to stabilize more of the spinal column. |
179 | $329 | $1,225 |
| Spine fusion with cage or mesh device insertion A surgical procedure to fuse spine bones by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space. |
73 | $217 | $750 |
| 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. |
68 | $106 | $350 |
| 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. |
34 | $28 | $130 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter. |
31 | $126 | $350 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, each additional segment This procedure involves the partial removal of spinal bone to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. It is billed for each additional spinal segment treated beyond the initial segment. |
30 | $177 | $2,640 |
| Fusion of spine in lower back | 27 | $1,202 | $3,990 |
| Anterior spinal fusion with partial disc removal, each additional disc This procedure involves fusing spine bones together through an incision in the front of the body, with partial removal of the disc, for each additional disc treated. |
25 | $228 | $2,765 |
| 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 | $107 | $245 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back. |
23 | $642 | $1,925 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 7-12 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize the back involving 7 to 12 spine bone segments. |
23 | $687 | $4,505 |
| Anterior lumbar interbody fusion with partial disc removal A surgical procedure to fuse the lower spine bones by accessing the area through the abdomen and partially removing a spinal disc. |
22 | $696 | $4,225 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 22 | $170 | $425 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, 1 segment A surgical procedure involving the partial removal of a bone segment in the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. This is performed on a single spinal segment. |
21 | $673 | $5,280 |
| Aspiration of bone marrow for spine bone graft | 20 | $59 | $185 |
| 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. |
18 | $65 | $130 |
| Spinal fusion of neck, posterior approach A surgical procedure to join two or more vertebrae in the cervical spine using a back approach to stabilize the neck. |
15 | $867 | $3,300 |
| 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. |
14 | $142 | $360 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 2-3 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize the front of two to three spinal segments. |
13 | $612 | $2,500 |
| 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. |
13 | $98 | $190 |
| Spinal fusion with disc removal and nerve release, 1 disc This surgery connects two or more vertebrae in the upper spine to stabilize the area. It involves removing a damaged disc and relieving pressure on the spinal cord or nerve. |
11 | $1,447 | $4,905 |
| Lower back spinal fusion with bone and disc removal A surgical procedure to fuse vertebrae in the lower back. It involves removing part of the spine bone and a disc to stabilize the area. |
11 | $1,395 | $4,600 |
| Insertion of instrumentation to pelvic bones A surgical procedure involving the placement of hardware or devices into the pelvic bones. |
11 | $302 | $875 |
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.
30.3% high complexity
0.0% medium
69.7% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$523,930
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $74,847/year across 7 years
Top 2% in PA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
32
Companies
653
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.
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$386,906 (73.8%)
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$117,562 (22.4%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$15,420 (2.9%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$4,041 (0.8%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$20,746
2023
$56,120
2022
$70,618
2021
$98,672
2020
$64,476
2019
$93,121
2018
$120,177
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
SI-BONE, INC.
$9,575
Globus Medical, Inc.
$3,987
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$2,469
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
$1,944
XTANT MEDICAL INC
$1,793
SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
$301
Stryker Corporation
$169
Carlsmed, Inc.
$163
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$146
Curiteva, Inc.
$125
Cerapedics Inc.
$49
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$26
Top 3 companies account for 77.3% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
NuVasive, Inc.
$113,576
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
$87,780
SI-BONE, INC.
$72,116
Surgalign Spine Technologies, Inc.
$70,073
SI-BONE, Inc.
$54,334
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$52,171
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$33,386
ZIMVIE INC.
$21,220
ConvaTec Inc.
$4,725
Globus Medical, Inc.
$4,022
Stryker Corporation
$3,955
XTANT MEDICAL INC
$1,793
SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
$1,104
PROVIDENCE MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, INC.
$856
Cerapedics Inc.
$666
RTI Surgical, Inc.
$523
Spinal Simplicity, LLC
$271
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$222
Innovasis Inc
$177
Carlsmed, Inc.
$163
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$146
Curiteva, Inc.
$125
SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
$116
MML US, Inc.
$102
PARADIGM SPINE, LLC
$68
GS Solutions, Inc.
$67
Medtronic, Inc.
$53
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$28
Nevro Corp.
$28
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$26
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$23
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 52.2% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
12mm x 28mm · 7D Surgical System · ACP · ADVANCED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT · ALIF · ALLOGRAFT · AQUACEL AG SURGICAL · ARAI SURGICAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM · Allograft · Archon · AttraX · Austedo XR · BASE · BIO4 · CAPRI CORPECTOMY CAGE SYSTEM · CASCADIA · CASCADIA INTERBODY SYSTEM · CAVUX Cervical Cage · CLARITY RETRACTOR SYSTEM-LATERAL · COHERE · CORTERA · Cambria NanoMetalene · Degen · ES2 · EVEREST · EVEREST MI · EVEREST XT · ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Navigation System · FIBULA WEDGE & SHAFT · FORTILINK-C IBF SYSTEM · FORTILINK-L IBF SYSTEM · Hooks · I-FACTOR PEPTIDE ENHANCED BONE GRAFT · IFUSE IMPLANT · IFUSE IMPLANT SYSTEM · INFINITY OCT System · INVEGA SUSTENNA · INVICTUS OPEN · Invictus MIS · KODIAK · KODIAK MIS · Kodiak & LLIF · LIF · Large 15 degree · LessRay · Leverage · MAZOR X SYSTEM · MONTEREY AL · MULTIPLE · MaXcess · Medical Devices · Minuteman · Mobi-C · Modulus · Multiple Products · NANOSS ABGS FAMILY · NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT · Other - MIS · Other - Miscellaneous · PD-Spine-New Product · PIONEER SURGICAL SURGICAL ILLUMINATOR · ProLift Expandable Interbody · Pulse · RELINE · RISE-L · ROSA · ROSA Brain · ROSA Spine · ROSA-One · ReActiv8 · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPINEMAP · SPINEMASK · STREAMLINE MIS SPINAL FIXATION SYSTEM · STREAMLINE TL SPINAL FIXATION SYSTEM · SYMPHONY · SYNFIX Evolution · SafeOp · Senza · Simplify Cervical Artificial Disc · Solus ALIF · TLIF · TRITANIUM · TrellOss-C SA · VIPER · Virage · Vital · Vital Deformity · Vitality · Vitality PSO · VuePoint · X-Core Mini · XIA · XIA 3 · XLIF · YUKON OCT SPINAL SYSTEM · aprevo · coflex · iFuse Implant
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 →
The majority of payments (74%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for neurological surgery in PA.
Geographic Context
Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
149
Per 100K population
9.4
County median income
$60,698
Nearest hospital
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY 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. Heller is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 2% in PA), with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 2% of PA peers, with 17 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. Heller experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Heller performed 252 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. Heller receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Heller received a total of $523,930 from 32 companies across 653 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. Heller's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Philadelphia?
Dr. Heller's average Medicare payment per service is $244. 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. Heller) 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 →
Explore related providers
Same specialty & city
Neurological Surgerists in Philadelphia
Browse neurological surgerists in Philadelphia ranked by procedure volume and transparency data.
Highest volume
Top Neurological Surgerists in PA
Neurological surgerists ranked by total Medicare services performed statewide.
Industry payments
Pharma Payments to Neurological Surgerists in PA
Which PA neurological surgerists receive the most from drug and device companies.
By company
NuVasive, Inc. Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from NuVasive, Inc.
By company
Providence Medical Technology, Inc. Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
By company
SI-BONE, INC. Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from SI-BONE, INC.
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