Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Nimesh Desai, MD

Thoracic Surgery · Philadelphia, PA
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Interventional — Practice combining cardiac and interventional services
Speaking/Promotional
3400 CIVIC CENTER BOULEVARD, Philadelphia, PA 19104
2156154949
In practice since 2008 (17 years)
NPI: 1457517716 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. Desai 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. Desai

Dr. Nimesh Desai is a thoracic surgery specialist in Philadelphia, PA, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Desai performed 339 Medicare services across 334 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Desai received a total of $230,211 from 21 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 424 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Desai 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 20% volume in PA $230,211 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
339
Medicare services
Top 20% in PA for thoracic surgery
334
Unique beneficiaries
$505
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~20 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
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery
A minimally invasive procedure to replace a diseased aortic heart valve using a catheter inserted through the skin and femoral artery.
104 $627 $4,512
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.
48 $105 $327
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.
44 $112 $268
Aortic valve replacement surgery
Surgical replacement of the aortic valve using a heart-lung machine to maintain blood circulation during the procedure.
34 $1,563 $8,011
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.
27 $82 $187
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 24 $134 $466
EKG interpretation and report
A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report.
17 $6 $30
Ascending aorta repair with graft and valve suspension
Surgical repair of the ascending aorta using a graft, performed while the patient is on a heart-lung machine, including suspension of the aortic valve.
14 $1,902 $8,220
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.
14 $51 $93
Aortic arch repair with graft
Surgical repair of the aortic arch using a graft to replace or reinforce the damaged section of the artery.
13 $765 $3,490
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.
44.8% high complexity
0.0% medium
55.2% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$230,211
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $32,887/year across 7 years
Top 4% in PA for thoracic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
21
Companies
424
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$178,648 (77.6%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$37,215 (16.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$14,348 (6.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$21,055
2023
$7,523
2022
$20,403
2021
$22,388
2020
$29,492
2019
$56,561
2018
$72,788

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Baxter Healthcare
$8,917
Bolton Medical Inc
$3,665
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$3,612
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$3,166
Artivion, Inc.
$1,019
Medtronic, Inc.
$541
Cook Medical LLC
$90
Penumbra, Inc.
$46
Top 3 companies account for 76.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$86,750
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$83,882
Baxter Healthcare
$19,005
Medtronic, Inc.
$11,975
Artivion, Inc.
$10,133
Bolton Medical Inc
$6,297
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$5,824
CryoLife, Inc.
$1,777
Cook Medical LLC
$1,600
ATRICURE, INC.
$1,059
Abbott Laboratories
$398
Boston Scientific Corporation
$319
BioStable Science & Engineering
$214
Terumo Cardiovascular Systems Corporation
$200
AtriCure, Inc.
$165
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$157
ABIOMED
$127
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$123
Penumbra, Inc.
$96
Getinge USA Sales, LLC
$89
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$21
Top 3 companies account for 82.4% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AMDS-Ascyrus Medical · ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM · Aortic and Mitral Tissue Stented Valves · Avalus · C3 Delivery System · COOK · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · COSEAL · CRYOVALVE SG PULMONARY HUMAN HEART VALVE · Cardiac non-SynerGraft · CardioRoot · Conformable TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · Cook Medical AAA · Cook Medical Advanced Tech · Cook Medical Thoracic · CoreValve Evolut · E-vita OPEN NEO · EDWARDS INTUITY Elite valve system · ENDURANT IIS · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYS · EPIC · EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis · EXCLUDER Iliac Branch Endoprosthesis · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · Endurant · Epic Stented Tissue Valve · FLOSEAL · GENERAL STRUCTURAL HEART · GENERAL STENTS · GENERAL STRUCTURAL HEART · GORE EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis · GORE EXCLUDER Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis · GORE Embolic Filter · GORE TAG Conformable Thoracic Endoprosthesis · GORE TAG Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis · GORE TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · GORE VIABAHN VBX Balloon Expandable Endo · General - Structural Heart · Grafts · INSPIRIS RESILIA AORTIC VALVE · INSPIRIS RESILIA aortic valve · Image Guided Therapy Devices _ Peripheral · Impella · Indigo System · Jotec Products · Mosaic · ON-X AORTIC HEART VALVE WITH CONFORM-X SEWING RING AND EXTENDED HOLDER · PREVELEAK · PerClot · Product in Development · Relay Grafts · Relay Plus · Stents · TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · TISSEEL · TREO ABDOMINAL STENT-GRAFT SYSTEM · Trifecta GT Tissue Heart Valve · VALIANT CAPTIVIA · VIABAHN Endoprosthesis · Valiant Captivia · Valiant Navion · ZENITH FLEX · Zenith Alpha
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 (78%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in thoracic surgery and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 4% for thoracic surgery in PA.

Looking for a thoracic surgery specialist in Philadelphia?
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Geographic Context

Thoracic surgerists within 10 mi
133
Per 100K population
8.4
County median income
$60,698
Nearest hospital
PHILADELPHIA VA MEDICAL CENTER
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. Desai is a cardiac & interventional specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 20% in PA), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 4% 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. Desai experienced with transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Desai performed 104 transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery 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. Desai receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Desai received a total of $230,211 from 21 companies across 424 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. Desai's costs compare to other thoracic surgerists in Philadelphia?
Dr. Desai's average Medicare payment per service is $505. 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. Desai) 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.

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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 →