Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Matthew Forrester, MD

Thoracic Surgery · Spokane, WA
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Interventional — Practice combining cardiac and interventional services
Consulting-driven
62 W 7TH AVE STE 110, Spokane, WA 99204
5094560262
In practice since 2008 (18 years)
NPI: 1386805539 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. Forrester 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. Forrester

Dr. Matthew Forrester is a thoracic surgery specialist in Spokane, WA, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Forrester performed 128 Medicare services across 128 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Forrester received a total of $56,255 from 10 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 193 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. 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. Forrester 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 ▲ 128 Medicare services $56,255 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
128
Medicare services
Bottom 43% in WA for thoracic surgery
128
Unique beneficiaries
$402
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~7 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
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.
 41 $585 $2,141
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.
 33 $123 $479
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 24 $178 $632
Endoscopic vein harvest
A surgical procedure to remove a vein using an endoscope, which is a thin, lighted tube inserted through small incisions.
 15 $12 $46
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.
 15 $1,262 $5,325
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.
43.8% high complexity
0.0% medium
56.2% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$56,255
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $8,036/year across 7 years
Top 9% in WA for thoracic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
10
Companies
193
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
$33,029 (58.7%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$23,226 (41.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$34,231
2023
$2,731
2022
$4,738
2021
$7,339
2020
$1,774
2019
$3,716
2018
$1,726

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$22,036
Medtronic, Inc.
$12,137
Dilon Technologies, Inc.
$30
Abbott Laboratories
$28
Top 3 companies account for 99.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$38,952
Medtronic, Inc.
$14,326
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$1,766
Abbott Laboratories
$1,069
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$31
Dilon Technologies, Inc.
$30
AtriCure, Inc.
$28
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$27
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$15
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$11
Top 3 companies account for 97.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
3F · AVALUS · Apollo · AtriCure AtriClip LAA Exclusion System · CARPENTIER-EDWARDS PERIMOUNT MAGNA EASE PERICARDIAL BIOPROSTHESIS - AORTIC · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · Carpentier-Edwards Physio II Annuloplasty Ring · Conformable TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · CoreValve Evolut · Da Vinci Surgical System · EDWARDS INTUITY ELITE VALVE SYSTEM · EDWARDS INTUITY Elite valve system · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · EPIC · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Endurant · GORE TAG Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis · HEMOBLAST BELLOWS · HeartMate · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Dev · HeartWare HVAD · INSPIRIS RESILIA AORTIC VALVE · INSPIRIS RESILIA aortic valve · KONECT RESILIA · MITRIS RESILIA Mitral Valve · Mosaic · PREVELEAK · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · STERNALOCK BLU SYSTEM · Simulus · TRI-AD
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 (59%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 9% for thoracic surgery in WA.

Looking for a thoracic surgery specialist in Spokane?
Compare thoracic surgerists in the Spokane area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse thoracic surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Thoracic surgerists within 10 mi
12
Per 100K population
2.2
County median income
$73,513
Nearest hospital
SHRINERS HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN
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. Forrester is a cardiac & interventional specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 9% of WA 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. Forrester experienced with transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Forrester performed 41 transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery 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. Forrester receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Forrester received a total of $56,255 from 10 companies across 193 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. Forrester's costs compare to other thoracic surgerists in Spokane?
Dr. Forrester's average Medicare payment per service is $402. 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. Forrester) 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 →