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Data Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data
Disclaimer: This site is an independent journalism project. Data analysis and editorial content are not affiliated with or endorsed by CMS or any government agency. All spending figures are based on publicly available Medicare payment records.
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ยฉ 2026 OpenMedicare. Independent data journalism. Built by TheDataProject.ai

Methodologyโ€ขDownload Data
  1. Home
  2. Providers
  3. Alex Kartvelishvili
๐Ÿ‘๏ธ
MDIndividual

Alex Kartvelishvili, M.D.

NPI: 1215124706
Iowa City, IA
10 years of data
Ophthalmology
$45.0M
Total Payments
174
Beneficiaries
322.9K
Services
2.23x
Markup Ratio

Peer Comparison

99th
percentile in specialty
This provider$45.0M
Specialty median$383.7K
Rank #67 of 189 in specialty

๐Ÿ“‹ Key Findings

1Billed $45.0M over 10 years
22.23x markup ratio (above median)
399th percentile in Ophthalmology by payments
4129 services/day โ€” unusually high
5Payments surged 262% in 2015
610 procedures with >3x markup

This provider averages 129 services per working day

Based on 322.9K total services over 10 years (250 working days/year). Learn about impossible service volumes โ†’

๐Ÿ”Ž Data Analysis

This provider's $45.0M in total Medicare payments ranks in the 99th percentile of Ophthalmology providers nationally.

Averaging 129 services per working day raises questions about billing patterns.

Medicare payments to this provider grew 1787% from 2014 to 2023.

63% of their billing comes from a single procedure code (J0178 โ€” Injection, aflibercept, 1 mg).

AI-generated analysis based on Medicare payment data.

Annual Medicare Payments

Annual Services Provided

Avg Payment per Service

Markup Ratio Over Time

๐Ÿ“ˆ

Notable: Payments increased 262% in 2015

Year-over-year payment surges can indicate changes in practice volume, new services, or billing pattern shifts.

Submitted Charges vs. Medicare Payments

Average per-service amounts submitted by the provider compared to what Medicare actually paid โ€” the gap represents the markup.

YearAvg SubmittedAvg PaidMarkup RatioGap per ServiceTotal PaymentsServicesBeneficiaries
2014$242.34$76.533.17x$165.81$431.2K5.6K17
2015$478.58$234.582.04x$244.00$1.6M6.7K14
2016$507.73$245.042.07x$262.69$3.7M15.0K19
2017$568.35$276.192.06x$292.16$4.2M15.2K16
2018$605.76$292.522.07x$313.24$4.3M14.8K18
2019$630.35$300.582.10x$329.77$4.8M15.8K18
2020$661.11$310.302.13x$350.81$5.0M16.1K16
2021$661.73$310.262.13x$351.47$6.0M19.5K16
2022$503.07$224.552.24x$278.52$6.9M30.6K19
2023$118.43$44.352.67x$74.08$8.1M183.5K21

Top Procedures (20)

J0178Injection, aflibercept, 1 mg
$28.2M
38.1K services$738.88/svc1.69x markup
J2778Injection, ranibizumab, 0.1 mg
$6.9M
25.3K services$273.34/svc1.90x markup
J2777Injection, faricimab-svoa, 0.1 mg
$5.1M
175.1K services$29.08/svc2.58x markup
67028Injection of drug into eyeโš  8.2x markup
$2.1M
26.5K services$80.36/svc8.21x markup
92134Imaging of retinaโš  3.8x markup
$1.0M
34.2K services$29.54/svc3.76x markup
99214Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-39 minutes
$359.7K
4.6K services$77.37/svc2.46x markup
99213Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 20-29 minutes
$296.2K
5.7K services$51.76/svc2.45x markup
92014Established patient complete exam of visual systemโš  3.4x markup
$255.7K
3.0K services$85.39/svc3.40x markup
J3590Unclassified biologicsโš  3.1x markup
$238.1K
2.5K services$95.88/svc3.13x markup
92004New patient complete exam of visual systemโš  3.3x markup
$99.7K
973 services$102.47/svc3.27x markup
92012Established patient problem focused exam of visual system
$96.2K
1.6K services$58.75/svc2.60x markup
99204New patient office or other outpatient visit, 45-59 minutes
$78.0K
682 services$114.34/svc2.46x markup
92250Photography of the retinaโš  5.3x markup
$54.1K
1.7K services$31.85/svc5.27x markup
67145Photocoagulation treatment to prevent detachment of retinaโš  4.0x markup
$42.1K
129 services$326.20/svc3.98x markup
67042Removal of membrane from the retina, pars plana approach with removal of internal limiting membrane of retinaโš  4.7x markup
$36.9K
39 services$946.29/svc4.68x markup
67108Repair of detached retina with drainage and removal of eye fluid between lens and retinaโš  4.6x markup
$34.7K
37 services$938.84/svc4.62x markup
99212Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 10-19 minutes
$24.9K
748 services$33.22/svc2.36x markup
92235Imaging of blood vessels in back of eye using fluorescein dye
$20.5K
257 services$79.91/svc2.52x markup
67041Removal of membrane of retinaโš  4.9x markup
$19.2K
23 services$834.73/svc4.91x markup
99203New patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-44 minutes
$15.0K
207 services$72.51/svc2.25x markup
Show detailed table โ–พ
CodeDescriptionServicesPaymentsAvg/ServiceMarkup
J0178Injection, aflibercept, 1 mg38.1K$28.2M$738.881.69x
J2778Injection, ranibizumab, 0.1 mg25.3K$6.9M$273.341.90x
J2777Injection, faricimab-svoa, 0.1 mg175.1K$5.1M$29.082.58x
67028Injection of drug into eye26.5K$2.1M$80.368.21x
92134Imaging of retina34.2K$1.0M$29.543.76x
99214Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-39 minutes4.6K$359.7K$77.372.46x
99213Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 20-29 minutes5.7K$296.2K$51.762.45x
92014Established patient complete exam of visual system3.0K$255.7K$85.393.40x
J3590Unclassified biologics2.5K$238.1K$95.883.13x
92004New patient complete exam of visual system973$99.7K$102.473.27x
92012Established patient problem focused exam of visual system1.6K$96.2K$58.752.60x
99204New patient office or other outpatient visit, 45-59 minutes682$78.0K$114.342.46x
92250Photography of the retina1.7K$54.1K$31.855.27x
67145Photocoagulation treatment to prevent detachment of retina129$42.1K$326.203.98x
67042Removal of membrane from the retina, pars plana approach with removal of internal limiting membrane of retina39$36.9K$946.294.68x
67108Repair of detached retina with drainage and removal of eye fluid between lens and retina37$34.7K$938.844.62x
99212Established patient office or other outpatient visit, 10-19 minutes748$24.9K$33.222.36x
92235Imaging of blood vessels in back of eye using fluorescein dye257$20.5K$79.912.52x
67041Removal of membrane of retina23$19.2K$834.734.91x
99203New patient office or other outpatient visit, 30-44 minutes207$15.0K$72.512.25x

Markup Analysis

Charge-to-Payment Ratio

2.23x

This provider submits charges 2.23 times higher than what Medicare actually pays.

What This Means

A markup ratio of 2.23x means for every $100 Medicare pays, this provider initially charges $223. This is higher than the national average.

Location

Iowa City, IA

Provider Verification

Always verify provider credentials and location before scheduling appointments. This data reflects Medicare payments and may not include all practice locations.

Similar Providers

Other Ophthalmology providers in IA for peer comparison.

Alex Kartvelishvili (you)
$45.0M
Kyle Alliman, M.D.
$83.3M
David Saggau, MD
$73.8M
Jared Nielsen, M.D., M.S.
$68.1M
Michael Wadzinski, M.D.
$37.7M
Show detailed table โ–พ
ProviderLocationTotal PaymentsStatus
Kyle Alliman, M.D.West Des Moines, IA$83.3Mโœ“ Clear
David Saggau, MDWest Des Moines, IA$73.8Mโœ“ Clear
Jared Nielsen, M.D., M.S.West Des Moines, IA$68.1Mโœ“ Clear
Michael Wadzinski, M.D.Sioux City, IA$37.7Mโœ“ Clear

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Data Sources

  • โ€ข Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
  • โ€ข Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data (2014-2023)
  • โ€ข National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES)

Last Updated: February 2026 (data through 2023, the latest CMS release)

Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.

Believe this data is inaccurate? Dispute this data