Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Ralph McLaughlin, MD

Interventional Cardiology · Yakima, WA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
406 S 30TH AVE, Yakima, WA 98902
5092487715
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1477606556 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. McLaughlin 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. McLaughlin? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. McLaughlin

Dr. Ralph McLaughlin is an interventional cardiology specialist in Yakima, WA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. McLaughlin performed 647 Medicare services across 594 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. McLaughlin received a total of $5,867 from 13 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 68 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in interventional cardiology. 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. McLaughlin 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.

✓ 19 years in practice ▲ 647 Medicare services $5,867 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
647
Medicare services
Bottom 26% in WA for interventional cardiology
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
594
Unique beneficiaries
$105
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~34 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
Ultrasound guidance for blood vessel access
Use of ultrasound imaging to help locate and access a blood vessel. This guidance assists healthcare providers in performing procedures such as inserting IV lines or drawing blood.
145 $11 $47
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.
104 $75 $110
Cardiac catheterization 67 $183 $692
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.
51 $50 $78
Ultrasound of heart blood vessel or graft
An ultrasound exam to evaluate blood flow in a heart blood vessel or graft, including a radiologist's review of the initial vessel.
45 $73 $223
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.
37 $112 $195
Coronary stent placement
A procedure to insert a stent into a coronary artery or its branch to keep it open, using balloon dilation during the process.
33 $391 $1,378
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 28 $144 $335
Additional heart vessel ultrasound evaluation
An additional ultrasound assessment of a specific heart blood vessel or graft, including radiologist review.
19 $58 $179
Continuous EKG monitoring review, 48-7 days
Review and interpretation of continuous external EKG recordings lasting more than 48 hours up to 7 days.
19 $19 $57
Insertion of tube in right and left heart chambers and coronary artery for diagnosis with review by radiologist 18 $253 $879
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.
18 $106 $239
Intravascular ultrasound of heart vessel, initial
An ultrasound procedure used to evaluate a blood vessel within the heart during a diagnostic or treatment procedure.
14 $56 $223
EKG interpretation and report
A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report.
13 $6 $20
Insertion of tube in left lower heart chamber, coronary artery and bypass graft for diagnosis with review by radiologist 13 $218 $785
Stent placement and plaque removal in one vessel
A procedure to clear plaque and blood clots from a single blood vessel, followed by the insertion of a stent and/or balloon dilation to keep the vessel open.
12 $487 $1,547
Coronary angiography
A procedure to insert a tube into a coronary artery to capture diagnostic images of the heart's blood vessels.
11 $150 $560
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.
19.3% high complexity
34.5% medium
46.2% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$5,867
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $838/year across 7 years
Top 38% in WA for interventional cardiology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
13
Companies
68
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
$5,867 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$259
2023
$1,021
2022
$186
2021
$17
2020
$224
2019
$3,278
2018
$881

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ABIOMED
$141
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$118
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$1,810
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$1,703
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$598
ABIOMED
$514
Abbott Laboratories
$313
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$238
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$227
Medtronic, Inc.
$133
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$105
EKOS Corporation
$104
Boston Scientific Corporation
$64
Endologix, Inc.
$43
Shockwave Medical, Inc
$15
Top 3 companies account for 70.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(4067) Tack Endovascular Systems BTK · AVEIR · Artis Q · Azurion 7 M20 · C3 Delivery System · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · DIAMONDBACK CORONARY · EKOSONIC · ENSITE · ENSITE PRECISION · EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis · EXCLUDER Conformable AAA Endoprosthesis with Active Control · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · EkoSonic · GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION · GORE VIABAHN Endoprosthesis with Heparin · IGT D Peripheral · IGT_D Peripheral · Impella · LUX-Dx Insertable Cardiac Monitor · LifeVest · Mammomat Revelation · ONYX FRONTIER · Ovation · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · SHOCKWAVE IVL SYSTEM WITH THE SHOCKWAVE C2 CORONARY IVL CATHETER · SOMATOM go.Top · Xience Alpine cornary stent system
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 an interventional cardiology specialist in Yakima?
Compare interventional cardiologists in the Yakima area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse interventional cardiologists nearby

Geographic Context

Interventional cardiologists within 10 mi
4
Per 100K population
1.6
County median income
$68,015
Nearest hospital
YAKIMA VALLEY MEMORIAL
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. McLaughlin is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 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. McLaughlin experienced with ultrasound guidance for blood vessel access?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. McLaughlin performed 145 ultrasound guidance for blood vessel access 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. McLaughlin receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. McLaughlin received a total of $5,867 from 13 companies across 68 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. McLaughlin's costs compare to other interventional cardiologists in Yakima?
Dr. McLaughlin's average Medicare payment per service is $105. 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. McLaughlin) 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 →