Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Cara Walker, PA-C

Physician Assistant · Mount Vernon, WA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
2320 FREEWAY DR, Mount Vernon, WA 98273
3608146800
In practice since 2014 (12 years)
NPI: 1013329531 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. Walker 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 →
Are you Dr. Walker? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Walker

Dr. Cara Walker is a physician assistant in Mount Vernon, WA, with 12 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Walker performed 257 Medicare services across 240 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Walker received a total of $1,165 from 3 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 22 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in physician assistant. 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. Walker 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.

✓ 12 years in practice ▲ Top 43% volume in WA $1,165 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
257
Medicare services
Top 43% in WA for physician assistant
240
Unique beneficiaries
$65
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~21 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
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.
 50 $47 $203
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.
 43 $65 $282
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
 26 $45 $239
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.
 25 $85 $320
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.
 21 $51 $249
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, 1 segment
A surgical procedure involving the partial removal of a bone segment in the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. This is performed on a single spinal segment.
 18 $98 $1,587
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.
 17 $27 $433
Total hip replacement
Surgical procedure to replace the thigh bone and hip joint with artificial components.
 13 $106 $4,700
Lower back spinal fusion with bone and disc removal
A surgical procedure to fuse vertebrae in the lower back. It involves removing part of the spine bone and a disc to stabilize the area.
 11 $192 $3,119
Placement of stabilizing device to back of 1 spine bone in neck
A procedure involving the placement of a stabilizing device on the back of a single vertebra in the neck.
 11 $79 $1,138
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release during fusion
This procedure involves removing part of the bone in a single segment of the lower spine to release the spinal cord or nerves, performed during a spinal fusion.
 11 $27 $410
Knee X-ray, 4 or more views
An imaging test using X-rays to create multiple pictures of the knee joint from different angles.
 11 $23 $114
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.
20.2% high complexity
10.1% medium
69.6% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$1,165
Total received (2021-2024)
Avg $291/year across 4 years
Top 20% in WA for physician assistant
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
3
Companies
22
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
$1,165 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$278
2023
$245
2022
$237
2021
$406

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boston Scientific Corporation
$118
SI-BONE, INC.
$94
Globus Medical, Inc.
$65
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2021-2024) ›
Globus Medical, Inc.
$873
SI-BONE, INC.
$174
Boston Scientific Corporation
$118
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
CREO 5.5 · EXCELSIUS GPS · Excelsius Spine 1.1 · ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Navigation System · HEDRON · Hedron IA · RISE-L · SABLE · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XTEND
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 physician assistant in Mount Vernon?
Compare physician assistants in the Mount Vernon area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Physician assistants within 10 mi
103
Per 100K population
79.0
County median income
$85,474
Nearest hospital
ISLAND HOSPITAL
11.0 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. Walker is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 20% of WA peers.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Walker experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Walker performed 50 office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 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. Walker receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Walker received a total of $1,165 from 3 companies across 22 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. Walker's costs compare to other physician assistants in Mount Vernon?
Dr. Walker's average Medicare payment per service is $65. 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. Walker) 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 →

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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 →