Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Shelley Ghafoori, MD

Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physician · Austin, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Consulting-driven
801 W 38TH ST, Austin, TX 78705
5124510103
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1588788830 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. Ghafoori 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. Ghafoori

Dr. Shelley Ghafoori is a retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician in Austin, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ghafoori performed 24,642 Medicare services across 3,639 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ghafoori received a total of $73,374 from 17 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 95 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician. 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. Ghafoori is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. This is not a quality rating. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 19 years in practice▲ Top 12% volume in TX$ $73,374 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
24,642
Medicare services
Top 12% in TX for retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician
3,639
Unique beneficiaries
$113
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~1,297 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.

ProcedureVolumeAvg. paidAvg. submitted
Eye injection (Vabysmo/faricimab)14,760$29$84
Aflibercept eye injection (Eylea)2,248$691$2,000
Retinal imaging (OCT scan)2,200$29$125
Eye injection for retinal disease1,525$93$550
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)691$64$200
Injection, ranibizumab-eqrn (cimerli), biosimilar, 0.1 mg675$216$1,000
Retinal photography (fundus photo)659$27$95
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient548$87$265
2d ultrasound scan of eye tissue and structures434$36$150
Exam of retinal blood vessels using a special camera after injection of a dye180$106$270
Comprehensive eye exam, new patient129$105$315
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)129$85$270
Injection, bevacizumab, 10 mg123$53$150
Unclassified drugs122$2,001$5,345
New patient office visit (45-59 min)68$126$350
Ultrasound scan of eye using water bath method34$60$245
Exam of retinal blood vessels and blood vessels between the white part of eye and retina using a special camera after injection of a dye34$208$540
Extended exam of the back part of the eye with retinal drawing24$19$75
Eye exam, established patient, focused19$65$190
Photography of content of eyes17$17$100
Visual field test, extended12$51$135
Removal of membrane of retina with removal of internal limiting membrane of retina11$925$2,310
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 ↗
$73,374
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $10,482/year across 7 years
Top 8% in TX for retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician
17
Companies
95
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
$50,725 (69.1%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$17,154 (23.4%)
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$2,632 (3.6%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$2,364 (3.2%)
Scientific / Research
Research funding and grants
$500 (0.7%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$816
2023
$25,126
2022
$25,194
2021
$3,263
2020
$480
2019
$17,537
2018
$957

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Baxter Healthcare
$46,035
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$21,120
US Retina LLC
$2,632
Welch Allyn
$1,420
ABBVIE INC.
$500
Genentech USA, Inc.
$353
TissueTech, Inc.
$304
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$264
Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.
$176
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$137
Genentech, Inc.
$137
OPTOVUE, INC.
$100
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$73
Alimera Sciences, Inc.
$66
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$31
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$16
Retrophin, Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 95.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(820) Cholbam · ACTHAR · BEOVU · CLARUS · EYLEA · EYLEA AFLIBERCEPT INJECTION · EYLEA HD · Hillrom - RetinaVue 700 Imager · ILUVIEN · Izervay · Lucentis · Non-Covered Product · OZURDEX · Prokera · RTH258A · RetinaVue Network · Syfovre · VABYSMO · Vabysmo · XR · YUTIQ
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 8% for retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician in TX.

Equivalent to $298 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a retina specialist (ophthalmology) physician in Austin?
Compare retina specialist (ophthalmology) physicians in the Austin area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Retina Specialist (Ophthalmology) Physicians within 10 mi
6
Per 100K population
0.5
County median income
$97,169
Nearest hospital
ASCENSION SETON MEDICAL CENTER AUSTIN
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/A

This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Ghafoori is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 12% in TX), and high industry engagement (consulting-driven, top 8%), with 19 years of practice experience.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Ghafoori experienced with eye injection (vabysmo/faricimab)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ghafoori performed 14,760 eye injection (vabysmo/faricimab) 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. Ghafoori receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ghafoori received a total of $73,374 from 17 companies across 95 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. Ghafoori's costs compare to other retina specialist (ophthalmology) physicians in Austin?
Dr. Ghafoori's average Medicare payment per service is $113. 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. Ghafoori) 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. The Transparency Score measures 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 →