Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Sam Akhavan, MD

Orthopedic Surgery · Pittsburgh, PA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
1307 FEDERAL STREET, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
8776606777
Registered in NPPES since 2008
NPI: 1801074711 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. Akhavan 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. Akhavan

Dr. Sam Akhavan is an orthopedic surgery specialist in Pittsburgh, PA, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Akhavan performed 2,251 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Akhavan received a total of $1,700,771 from 6 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 601 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. Akhavan 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.

✓ 18 years of NPI registration ▲ Top 32% volume in PA $1,700,771 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary — 2023

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,251
Medicare services
Top 32% in PA for orthopedic surgery
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$20
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
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)
A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered.
 1,600 $1 $3
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
 252 $58 $270
Hyaluronan injection (Euflexxa) for joint
An injection of hyaluronan or its derivative, specifically Euflexxa, administered directly into a joint space.
 114 $93 $393
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.
 87 $61 $264
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.
 77 $96 $374
Knee X-ray, 4 or more views
An imaging test using X-rays to create multiple pictures of the knee joint from different angles.
 58 $35 $140
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views
An X-ray imaging test of the shoulder joint using at least two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
 35 $27 $103
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.
 28 $124 $487
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.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$1,700,771
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $242,967/year across 7 years
Top 1% in PA for orthopedic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
6
Companies
601
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
$508,496
2023
$416,577
2022
$331,482
2021
$152,778
2020
$102,070
2019
$119,027
2018
$70,341

Payments by company (2024)

Arthrex, Inc.
$507,997
Mid-Atlantic Surgical Systems, LLC
$499
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Arthrex, Inc.
$1,694,364
Mid-Atlantic Surgical Systems, LLC
$6,310
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
$31
Ethicon US, LLC
$24
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$22
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$20
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ARTHREX · Arthrex · BIOLOGICS CONSUMABLES CARTILAGE REPAIR ACCESSORIES · DUEXIS · MONOCRYL · SHOULDER SUTURE FIBERWIRE SUTURETAPE · ZYNRELEF · Zilretta
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 an orthopedic surgery specialist in Pittsburgh?
Compare orthopedic surgeons in the Pittsburgh area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Orthopedic surgeons in nearby ZIP areas
203
County median income
$76,393
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
ALLEGHENY GENERAL HOSPITAL
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. Akhavan is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with 18 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. Akhavan experienced with steroid injection (triamcinolone)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Akhavan performed 1,600 steroid injection (triamcinolone) 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. Akhavan receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Akhavan received a total of $1,700,771 from 6 companies across 601 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. Akhavan's costs compare to other orthopedic surgeons in Pittsburgh?
Dr. Akhavan's average Medicare payment per service is $20. 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. Akhavan) 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 →

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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 →