Not Medicare Enrolled

Dr. John Luber, MD

Thoracic Surgery · Tacoma, WA
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Interventional — Practice combining cardiac and interventional services
Speaking/Promotional
1802 YAKIMA AVE STE 102, Tacoma, WA 98405
2532727777
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1801821756 verify on NPPES ↗
High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 3 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. Luber 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. Luber? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Luber

Dr. John Luber is a thoracic surgery specialist in Tacoma, WA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Luber performed 278 Medicare services across 268 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Luber received a total of $714,723 from 9 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 715 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Luber is 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.

✓ 20 years in practice ▲ Top 18% volume in WA $714,723 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
278
Medicare services
Top 18% in WA for thoracic surgery
268
Unique beneficiaries
$308
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~14 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.
78 $557 $3,434
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 70 $159 $631
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)
An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter.
39 $133 $515
Initial hospital admission, high complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
33 $136 $528
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.
18 $39 $126
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 $1,296 $5,328
Endoscopic vein harvest
A surgical procedure to remove a vein using an endoscope, which is a thin, lighted tube inserted through small incisions.
14 $11 $46
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.
11 $101 $367
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.
33.5% high complexity
0.0% medium
66.5% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$714,723
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $102,103/year across 7 years
Top 1% in WA for thoracic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
9
Companies
715
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$702,107 (98.2%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$10,466 (1.5%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$2,150 (0.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$102,016
2023
$83,919
2022
$64,913
2021
$71,609
2020
$39,714
2019
$171,019
2018
$181,534

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
CSL Behring
$99,000
BTG International, Inc.
$2,742
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$273
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
CSL Behring
$503,666
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$169,052
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$23,040
Medtronic, Inc.
$12,554
BTG International, Inc.
$2,742
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$2,184
Janssen Research & Development, LLC
$1,070
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$386
Ethicon US, LLC
$28
Top 3 companies account for 97.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AVALUS · Avalus · BEVYXXA · Cardioblate · CoreValve Evolut · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Hancock · Kcentra · Mosaic · OCTOPUS · Octopus · Simulus · Surgicel Powder · XARELTO
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 (98%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in thoracic surgery and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 1% for thoracic surgery in WA.

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

Thoracic surgerists within 10 mi
17
Per 100K population
1.8
County median income
$96,632
Nearest hospital
ST JOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPES Weekly updates
Medicare Enrollment — Not enrolled N/A
Practice Data Medicare Util. Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open Payments CY 2024
Disciplinary History — Not public N/A

This provider has data in 3 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Luber is a cardiac & interventional specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 18% in WA), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 1% of WA peers, with 20 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. Luber experienced with transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Luber performed 78 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. Luber receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Luber received a total of $714,723 from 9 companies across 715 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. Luber's costs compare to other thoracic surgerists in Tacoma?
Dr. Luber's average Medicare payment per service is $308. 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 High for Dr. Luber) 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 →