How Many Times Did Your Doctor Do the Same Procedure on You?
Medicare pays for results. These physicians billed the same procedure on the same patient far more than the national average — echocardiograms, Holter monitors, cervical spine surgery.
CPT 93306
Echocardiogram
National avg: 1.2 echos per patient per year. Cardiologists who own the machine bill 3–4× for stable patients.
Flag: ≥2.0×/patient
CPT 93224
Holter Monitor
National avg: 1.05/patient. Holter should almost never be repeated within a year without new symptoms.
Flag: ≥1.4×/patient
CPT 22551
Cervical Spine ACDF
Single-level ACDF. Some surgeons stage multi-level fusions as separate procedures to maximize billing per level.
Flag: ≥1.3×/patient
In-Office (POS 11)
Self-Referral Signal
Cardiologists billing echo in-office (POS 11) own the machine — a known driver of overutilization under Stark Law.
TC+26 = 3.8× more pay