Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Jennifer Abelson, MD

Thoracic Surgery · Olympia, WA
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Interventional — Practice combining cardiac and interventional services
Low-engagement
525 LILLY RD NE STE 200, Olympia, WA 98506
3604934510
In practice since 2009 (17 years)
NPI: 1497989057 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. Abelson 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. Abelson

Dr. Jennifer Abelson is a thoracic surgery specialist in Olympia, WA, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Abelson performed 207 Medicare services across 204 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Abelson received a total of $12,748 from 15 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 171 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. 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. Abelson 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.

✓ 17 years in practice ▲ Top 29% volume in WA $12,748 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
207
Medicare services
Top 29% in WA for thoracic surgery
204
Unique beneficiaries
$300
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~12 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
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 63 $167 $632
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery
A minimally invasive procedure to replace a diseased aortic heart valve using a catheter inserted through the skin and femoral artery.
 53 $572 $2,141
Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an established patient with straightforward or low-level medical decision making. The visit requires at least 25 minutes of time spent on the day of service.
 44 $39 $143
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
 22 $102 $372
Coronary artery bypass graft, 1 artery
Surgical procedure to bypass a blocked coronary artery using a graft from another artery. This restores blood flow to the heart muscle.
 13 $1,314 $5,325
Endoscopic vein harvest
A surgical procedure to remove a vein using an endoscope, which is a thin, lighted tube inserted through small incisions.
 12 $12 $46
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.
31.9% high complexity
0.0% medium
68.1% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$12,748
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,821/year across 7 years
Top 21% in WA for thoracic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
15
Companies
171
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
$12,662 (99.3%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$87 (0.7%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,270
2023
$769
2022
$1,208
2021
$186
2020
$1,824
2019
$5,041
2018
$2,450

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ATRICURE, INC.
$1,201
Medtronic, Inc.
$69
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$3,823
ATRICURE, INC.
$2,539
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$2,164
AtriCure, Inc.
$1,611
ABIOMED
$972
Medtronic, Inc.
$924
CryoLife, Inc.
$187
Boston Scientific Corporation
$178
Baxter Healthcare
$123
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$68
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$57
HemoSonics LLC
$35
Ethicon US, LLC
$28
KLS-Martin L.P.
$21
KCI USA, Inc
$19
Top 3 companies account for 66.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM · ATRICURE ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION · ATRICURE CRYOICE CRYOABLATION SYSTEM (CRYO2) · ATRICURE SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · Avalus · BioGlue · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · Carpentier-Edwards Physio II Annuloplasty Ring · CoreValve Evolut · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · GENERAL - STRUCTURAL HEART · INSPIRIS RESILIA aortic valve · Impella · Mosaic · ONYX FRONTIER · QUNATRA QPLUS SYSTEM · ROTABLATOR · STERNALOCK 360 SYSTEM · SURGICEL Family of Absorbable Hemostats · SYNERGY · SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · VAC VERAFLO
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 (99%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a thoracic surgery specialist in Olympia?
Compare thoracic surgerists in the Olympia area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Thoracic surgerists within 10 mi
14
Per 100K population
4.7
County median income
$93,985
Nearest hospital
PROVIDENCE ST PETER HOSPITAL
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. Abelson is a cardiac & interventional specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 29% in WA), with low-engagement industry engagement, with 17 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. Abelson experienced with new patient office visit, complex (60-74 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Abelson performed 63 new patient office visit, complex (60-74 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. Abelson receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Abelson received a total of $12,748 from 15 companies across 171 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. Abelson's costs compare to other thoracic surgerists in Olympia?
Dr. Abelson's average Medicare payment per service is $300. 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. Abelson) 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 →