Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Viji Shankar, M.D.

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation · White Oak, PA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1220 LINCOLN WAY, White Oak, PA 15131
4126730502
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1194911727 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. Shankar 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. Shankar

Dr. Viji Shankar is a physical medicine & rehabilitation specialist in White Oak, PA, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Shankar performed 939 Medicare services across 416 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Shankar received a total of $3,846 from 32 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 173 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in physical medicine & rehabilitation. 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. Shankar 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 in practice ▲ 939 Medicare services $3,846 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
939
Medicare services
Bottom 48% in PA for physical medicine & rehabilitation
416
Unique beneficiaries
$64
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~52 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
Betamethasone steroid injection
An injection containing a combination of betamethasone acetate and betamethasone sodium phosphate.
491 $5 $30
Injection into lower spine canal with imaging guidance
A procedure where a substance is injected into the lower part of the spinal canal. The injection is performed using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement.
118 $184 $980
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.
96 $88 $450
Drug screening test
A laboratory test that uses a chemistry analyzer to detect the presence of drugs in a sample.
55 $61 $190
Definitive drug test using GC/MS or LC/MS
A definitive drug test that identifies specific drugs and distinguishes between structural isomers using advanced methods like GC/MS or LC/MS.
54 $242 $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.
53 $118 $580
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.
28 $82 $390
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
26 $48 $265
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.
18 $70 $320
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 ↗
$3,846
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $549/year across 7 years
Top 12% in PA for physical medicine & rehabilitation
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
32
Companies
173
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
$3,846 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$699
2023
$536
2022
$722
2021
$520
2020
$474
2019
$560
2018
$336

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Abbott Laboratories
$238
Boston Scientific Corporation
$172
Nevro Corp.
$154
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$67
SI-BONE, INC.
$29
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$23
VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
$17
Top 3 companies account for 80.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Abbott Laboratories
$693
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$516
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$458
Electronic Waveform Lab, Inc.
$391
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$364
Boston Scientific Corporation
$297
Nevro Corp.
$229
Forte Bio-Pharma LLC
$154
SI-BONE, INC.
$76
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$74
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$67
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$66
SI-BONE, Inc.
$46
Pacira Therapeutics, Inc.
$44
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$42
IBSA Pharma Inc.
$41
Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA
$30
Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$30
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$24
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$23
Almatica Pharma LLC
$18
Fidia Pharma USA Inc.
$17
FORTE BIO-PHARMA LLC
$17
VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
$17
BIODELIVERY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
$16
Orthogenrx Inc.
$16
IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS US INC
$15
PROTEGA PHARMACEUTIALS INC
$15
FIDIA PHARMA USA INC.
$14
Sentynl Therapeutics, Inc.
$13
Acacia Pharma Inc
$13
Zyla Life Sciences, Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 43.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
BELBUCA · BUNAVAIL 2.1 mg 30-count box · BYFAVO · ETERNA · GRALISE · GenVisc 850 · General - Pain Management · General - Therapies · HYMOVIS · Horizant · Hymovis · IFUSE IMPLANT · Kloxxado · Levorphanol Tartrate · Morphabond ER · NALOCET · Nalocet · Nalu Neurostimulation System · Omnia · PROCLAIM · PROLATE · Proclaim IPG · QUVIVIQ · Qutenza · ROXYBOND · SPRINT PNS System · SPRIX · Senza · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Tirosint · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XTAMPZA · Xtampza ER · ZTLido · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH · Zilretta · 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 →

Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a physical medicine & rehabilitation specialist in White Oak?
Compare physical medicine & rehabilitations in the White Oak area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Physical medicine & rehabilitations within 10 mi
117
Per 100K population
9.4
County median income
$76,393
Nearest hospital
UPMC MCKEESPORT HOSPITAL
2.5 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. Shankar is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 12% of PA peers, 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. Shankar experienced with betamethasone steroid injection?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Shankar performed 491 betamethasone steroid injection 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. Shankar receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Shankar received a total of $3,846 from 32 companies across 173 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. Shankar's costs compare to other physical medicine & rehabilitations in White Oak?
Dr. Shankar's average Medicare payment per service is $64. 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. Shankar) 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 →