Medicare Enrolled

Dr. David Okonkwo, M.D.

Neurological Surgery · Pittsburgh, PA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
200 LOTHROP ST, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
4126472100
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1447204854 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. Okonkwo 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. Okonkwo

Dr. David Okonkwo is a neurological surgery specialist in Pittsburgh, PA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Okonkwo performed 431 Medicare services across 236 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Okonkwo received a total of $2,335,117 from 19 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 428 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. Okonkwo 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 24% volume in PA $2,335,117 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
431
Medicare services
Top 24% in PA for neurological surgery
236
Unique beneficiaries
$246
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~22 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
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.
183 $302 $2,704
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.
84 $60 $149
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.
51 $135 $300
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.
29 $199 $1,106
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.
25 $78 $222
Spinal fusion, upper back
A surgical procedure to join two or more vertebrae in the upper back to eliminate motion between them.
13 $679 $3,267
Spinal stabilization device placement, 7-12 segments
Surgical placement of a device to stabilize the back involving 7 to 12 spine bone segments.
12 $631 $8,868
Insertion of instrumentation to pelvic bones
A surgical procedure involving the placement of hardware or devices into the pelvic bones.
12 $277 $8,652
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.
11 $888 $4,141
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 11 $146 $420
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.
54.8% high complexity
0.0% medium
45.2% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$2,335,117
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $333,588/year across 7 years
Top 1% in PA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
19
Companies
428
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
$1,603,469 (68.7%)
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$722,671 (30.9%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$5,017 (0.2%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$3,959 (0.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$148,171
2023
$158,204
2022
$316,588
2021
$390,525
2020
$621,460
2019
$369,220
2018
$330,950

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Globus Medical, Inc.
$142,840
Highridge Medical LLC
$4,572
Medtronic, Inc.
$270
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$260
Amgen Inc.
$140
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$89
Top 3 companies account for 99.7% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
NuVasive, Inc.
$1,409,531
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$686,224
Globus Medical, Inc.
$143,039
Stryker Corporation
$46,665
ZIMVIE INC.
$31,875
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$6,000
Highridge Medical LLC
$4,572
Synthes GmbH
$2,287
NATUS MEDICAL INCORPORATED
$1,672
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,515
MML US, Inc.
$622
Abbott Laboratories
$304
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$260
Amgen Inc.
$140
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$118
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$109
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$67
Innovation Technologies Inc
$64
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$53
Top 3 companies account for 95.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AERO-LL · AIRO · ALIF · ALLOGRAFT · ALLOGRAFT BIO-IMPLANTS · ARIA · AVS ANCHOR-C · Architect system · AttraX · BASE · CODMAN CERTAS · CONDUIT · CRANIALMASK TRACKER · CREO · CREO 5.5 · CREO ADDITION · Caliber L · DYNATRAN · ES2 · EVENITY · EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM · Excelsius3D Imaging System · External Fixation · INFINITY OCT System · Irrisept · LITE PLATE SYSTEM · LessRay · MAKO · MAZOR X SYSTEM · Mazor X Stealth Edition · Modulus · NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT · NVM5 · NexGen · Nuvaline/NuvaMap O.R. · Other - Miscellaneous · PIVOX Oblique Lateral Spinal System · PLIF · POWER · Pulse · RELINE · ROSA · ReActiv8 · SERRATO · SPINEJACK · SPINEMAP · STEALTHSTATION S8 PLATFORM · SYMPHONY · TLIF · TRELLOSS-C SA · TRITANIUM · Teligen · Timberline · TrellOss · TrellOss-C SA · VITOSS · XIA · XLIF · YUKON OCT SPINAL SYSTEM
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 (69%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 1% for neurological surgery in PA.

Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in Pittsburgh?
Compare neurological surgerists in the Pittsburgh area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurological surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
93
Per 100K population
7.5
County median income
$76,393
Nearest hospital
MAGEE WOMENS HOSPITAL OF UPMC HEALTH SYSTEM
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. Okonkwo is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 24% in PA), with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 1% of PA peers, 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. Okonkwo experienced with spinal fusion of additional segment?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Okonkwo performed 183 spinal fusion of additional segment 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. Okonkwo receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Okonkwo received a total of $2,335,117 from 19 companies across 428 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. Okonkwo's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Pittsburgh?
Dr. Okonkwo's average Medicare payment per service is $246. 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. Okonkwo) 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 →