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Home > MA Providers > Rheumatologists

Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD

(1 Rating)

Specializes in: Rheumatology (Arthritis & Autoimmune Diseases)

McGill University Faculty of Medicine (1962)

Professional interests include: back pain, psoriatic arthritis, osteoporosis, and more.

25 Oak Avenue
Worcester, MA 01605

(508) 799-2674

Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD is a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA specializing in rheumatology (arthritis & autoimmune diseases). He graduated from McGill University Faculty of Medicine in 1962 and has 64 years of experience. Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD is affiliated with UMass Memorial HealthAlliance - Clinton Hospital, UMass Memorial Medical Center and UMass Memorial Health.

Office Locations

UMass Memorial Health

25 Oak Avenue
Worcester, MA 01605

(508) 799-2674

(508) 799-2586

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Some issues Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD can help you with:

LGBT Issues

LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, and is indicative of a greater spectrum of different sexualities and genders that some people may identify with. LGBT issues are issues that LGBT people may face in their daily life, affecting children, adolescents, and adults. Adverse experiences and stigmas may contribute to depression, anxiety, and undue stress in LGBT people. Common LGBT issues may include:

Harassment and bullying
Social rejection
Higher risk of suicide

Healthcare providers are working to provide more inclusive care for people of all sexual orientations and identities. Some choose to address LGBT issues through procedures such as chest reconstruction, facial feminization surgery, masculinization surgery, and glottoplasty (surgery to raise the pitch of one's voice). Sensitive OB-GYN care and hormone therapy may also be options for people with LGBT issues.

LGBT therapy can also help people navigate LGBT issues and mental health problems. LGBT affirmative therapy specializes in creating "affirmative" spaces for people who are LGBT. LGBT affirmative therapists use patients' preferred pronouns, address homophobia and social biases, and act as LGBT advocates in their talk therapy sessions.

In The News (see more mentions in the news)

“"Worcester's growth presents a perfect time to reinvent SONOMA Restaurant by reintroducing it to the Worcester market with an acclaimed Chef," Dr. Charles Birbara, SONOMA owner, said in the Sept....”—"SONOMA executive chef departs after less than a month", Worcester Business Journal, October 2024

“"Worcester's growth presents a perfect time to reinvent SONOMA Restaurant by reintroducing it to the Worcester market with an acclaimed Chef," Dr. Charles Birbara, SONOMA owner, said in the release.”—"Executive chef from Boston's Top of the Hub restaurant to take over at Beechwood's SONOMA", Worcester Business Journal, September 2024

“Dr. Charles Birbara is also a practicing rheumatologist in the city, as well as being an associate professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.”—"Dr. Charles and Janet Birbara", Worcester Business Journal, December 2015

Noteworthy Medicare Patient Procedures Performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2023

Click on any procedure below to see further details on volume and pricing among Medicare patients.

Top 5%

By Volume:

carpal tunnel injection

injections

joint aspiration

By Affordability:

carpal tunnel injection

In 2023, among providers in related specialties within Massachusetts, Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD performed more carpal tunnel injection, injections, and joint aspiration procedures for Medicare patients than 95% of them and he also had a list price for carpal tunnel injection that was lower than the list prices billed to Medicare by 95% of them. Actual amounts paid by patients can vary widely depending on a number of factors, including insurance coverage. A lower list price, however, might mean lower fees when paying without insurance.

Top 10%

By Affordability:

ligament injection

soft tissue injections

tendon sheath injection

In 2023, Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD had a list price for ligament injection, soft tissue injections, and tendon sheath injection that was lower than the list prices billed to Medicare by 90% of providers in related specialties within Massachusetts. Actual amounts paid by patients can vary widely depending on a number of factors, including insurance coverage. A lower list price, however, might mean lower fees when paying without insurance.

Top 25%

By Volume:

biological response modifier therapy

intravenous chemotherapy

intravenous infusion

In 2012, Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD performed more biological response modifier (BRM) therapy, intravenous (IV) chemotherapy, and intravenous (IV) infusion procedures for Medicare patients than 75% of providers in related specialties within Massachusetts.

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2012 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2012 were injections, aspiration, X-rays and minimally invasive procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	3241
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	532
chemotherapy	532
doctor visit	445
hip imaging	89
injections	5709
minimally invasive procedures	648
musculoskeletal imaging	556
pelvic imaging	144
spinal procedures	161
thoracic (chest) imaging	20
vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)	243
X-rays	881

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2013 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2013 were injections, aspiration, X-rays and minimally invasive procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	3051
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	500
chemotherapy	500
doctor visit	498
hip imaging	84
injections	5619
minimally invasive procedures	544
musculoskeletal imaging	457
pelvic imaging	129
spinal procedures	119
thoracic (chest) imaging	16
vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)	208
X-rays	721

2013 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	310
Female	565

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	815
Black	16
Hispanic	21
Asian	0
Other	0
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	351
From 75 to 84	263
85 and over	151
Less than 65	110

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2013

Hypertension	68
High Cholesterol	59
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	33
Depression	21
Chronic Kidney Disease	18
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	25
Atrial Fibrilation	14
Heart Failure	18
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	12
Diabetes	24
Dementia	4
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2014 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2014 were injections, aspiration, X-rays and minimally invasive procedures.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	2888
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	528
chemotherapy	528
doctor visit	465
hip imaging	77
injections	5500
minimally invasive procedures	551
musculoskeletal imaging	431
pelvic imaging	100
spinal procedures	122
thoracic (chest) imaging	22
vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)	220
X-rays	675

2014 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	327
Female	575

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	837
Black	0
Hispanic	25
Asian	0
Other	21
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	377
From 75 to 84	274
85 and over	146
Less than 65	105

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2014

Hypertension	68
High Cholesterol	58
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	33
Depression	24
Chronic Kidney Disease	20
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	29
Atrial Fibrilation	12
Heart Failure	15
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	25
Dementia	6
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2015 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2015 were injections, aspiration, X-rays and chemotherapy.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	2849
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	502
chemotherapy	502
doctor visit	486
hip imaging	58
injections	5638
minimally invasive procedures	502
musculoskeletal imaging	390
pelvic imaging	96
spinal procedures	120
vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)	209
X-rays	606

2015 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	664
Female	1094

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	1620
Black	0
Hispanic	56
Asian	0
Other	48
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	780
From 75 to 84	534
85 and over	234
Less than 65	210

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2015

Hypertension	67
High Cholesterol	60
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	34
Depression	22
Chronic Kidney Disease	22
Asthma	14
Osteoperosis	27
Atrial Fibrilation	12
Heart Failure	18
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	14
Diabetes	24
Dementia	6
Cancer	11

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2016 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2016 were injections, aspiration, minimally invasive procedures and chemotherapy.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	2559
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	512
chemotherapy	512
doctor visit	641
injections	5318
minimally invasive procedures	578
musculoskeletal imaging	282
pelvic imaging	32
spinal procedures	104
thoracic (chest) imaging	13
vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)	171
X-rays	431

2016 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	320
Female	503

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	758
Black	0
Hispanic	20
Asian	0
Other	25
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	349
From 75 to 84	257
85 and over	105
Less than 65	112

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2016

Hypertension	67
High Cholesterol	56
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	31
Depression	26
Chronic Kidney Disease	23
Asthma	19
Osteoperosis	26
Atrial Fibrilation	13
Heart Failure	17
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	24
Dementia	6
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2017 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2017 were injections, aspiration, minimally invasive procedures and chemotherapy.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	2148
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	487
chemotherapy	487
doctor visit	565
injections	4665
minimally invasive procedures	533
musculoskeletal imaging	269
pelvic imaging	38
spinal procedures	112
vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)	170
X-rays	419

2017 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	289
Female	479

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	703
Black	0
Hispanic	18
Asian	0
Other	24
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	326
From 75 to 84	242
85 and over	97
Less than 65	103

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2017

Hypertension	64
High Cholesterol	46
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	30
Depression	25
Chronic Kidney Disease	24
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	27
Atrial Fibrilation	13
Heart Failure	17
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	15
Diabetes	25
Dementia	7
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2018 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2018 were injections, aspiration, chemotherapy and biological response modifier (BRM) therapy.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	1477
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	495
chemotherapy	495
doctor visit	298
injections	3380
minimally invasive procedures	495
musculoskeletal imaging	41
vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)	20
X-rays	41

2018 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	227
Female	354

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	541
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	17
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	221
From 75 to 84	205
85 and over	80
Less than 65	75

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2018

Hypertension	67
High Cholesterol	55
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	31
Depression	24
Chronic Kidney Disease	25
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	30
Atrial Fibrilation	14
Heart Failure	16
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	14
Diabetes	25
Dementia	7
Cancer	9

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2019 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2019 were injections, aspiration, chemotherapy and biological response modifier (BRM) therapy.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	1594
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	506
chemotherapy	506
doctor visit	414
injections	3734
minimally invasive procedures	506

2019 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	233
Female	321

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	510
Black	0
Hispanic	15
Asian	0
Other	18
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	226
From 75 to 84	201
85 and over	72
Less than 65	55

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2019

Hypertension	69
High Cholesterol	61
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	33
Depression	19
Chronic Kidney Disease	26
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	28
Atrial Fibrilation	14
Heart Failure	19
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	15
Diabetes	23
Dementia	6
Cancer	10

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2020 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2020 were injections, aspiration, chemotherapy and biological response modifier (BRM) therapy.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	1304
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	407
chemotherapy	407
doctor visit	351
injections	3261
minimally invasive procedures	407

2020 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	195
Female	273

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	433
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	15
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	193
From 75 to 84	176
85 and over	59
Less than 65	40

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2020

Hypertension	68
High Cholesterol	64
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	32
Depression	22
Chronic Kidney Disease	27
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	29
Atrial Fibrilation	15
Heart Failure	18
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	14
Diabetes	26
Dementia	6
Cancer	12

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2021 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2021 were injections, aspiration, minimally invasive procedures and chemotherapy.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	1491
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	370
chemotherapy	370
doctor visit	225
injections	3522
minimally invasive procedures	445

2021 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	185
Female	257

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	410
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	16
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	174
From 75 to 84	160
85 and over	72
Less than 65	36

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2021

Hypertension	66
High Cholesterol	64
Stroke	4
Ischemic Heart Disease	32
Depression	21
Chronic Kidney Disease	33
Asthma	9
Osteoperosis	33
Atrial Fibrilation	13
Heart Failure	18
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	15
Diabetes	25
Dementia	7
Cancer	12

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

2022 Medicare Procedure Volume

The top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA during 2022 were injections, aspiration, minimally invasive procedures and chemotherapy.

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

aspiration	1489
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	338
chemotherapy	338
doctor visit	234
injections	3535
minimally invasive procedures	434

2022 Medicare Patient Data

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	199
Female	256

**Ethnicity**
Non-Hispanic White	424
Black	0
Hispanic	0
Asian	0
Other	14
Native American	0

**Age**
From 65 to 74	177
From 75 to 84	194
85 and over	61
Less than 65	23

Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD in 2022

Hypertension	75
High Cholesterol	75
Stroke	5
Ischemic Heart Disease	27
Depression	19
Chronic Kidney Disease	22
Asthma	10
Osteoperosis	38
Atrial Fibrilation	19
Heart Failure	18
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	19
Diabetes	27
Dementia	4
Cancer	17

Medicare Procedure and Patient Information

Average Medicare Procedure Volume From 2012 - 2022

Volume of procedures performed by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD for Medicare patients.

The highest averages for the top procedures that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated as a rheumatologist in Worcester, MA were injections, aspiration, X-rays and minimally invasive procedures.

aspiration	2190
biological response modifier (BRM) therapy	470
chemotherapy	470
doctor visit	420
hip imaging	77
injections	4534
minimally invasive procedures	513
musculoskeletal imaging	346
pelvic imaging	89
spinal procedures	123
thoracic (chest) imaging	17
vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)	177
X-rays	539

Average Medicare Patient Data From 2012 - 2022

Information about Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD.

**Gender**
Male	268
Female	425

**Ethnicity**
Black / African American	1
Asian / Pacific Islander	0
Non-Hispanic White	641
Native American / Alaskan Native	0
Hispanic	14
Other	18

**Age**
75 to 84	227
85 and over	97
Less than 65	79
65 to 74	288

Average of Total of Conditions of Medicare patients treated by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD From 2012 - 2022

The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD treated were hypertension, high cholesterol, ischemic heart disease and osteoperosis.

Hypertension	61
High Cholesterol	54
Stroke	3
Ischemic Heart Disease	28
Depression	20
Chronic Kidney Disease	21
Asthma	9
Osteoporosis	26
Heart Failure	15
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	13
Diabetes	22
Atrial Fibrillation	12
Dementia	5
Cancer	10

Education & Training

Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD graduated from McGill University Faculty of Medicine in 1962. He completed residency at Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital. He is certified by the Board Certification: Internal Medicine and has a state license in Massachusetts.

Medical School: McGill University Faculty of Medicine (1962)

Residency: Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital

Board Certification: Board Certification: Internal Medicine

Licensed In: Massachusetts

Affiliations & Hospitals

Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD is associated with these hospitals and organizations:

UMass Memorial HealthAlliance - Clinton Hospital

UMass Memorial Medical Center

UMass Memorial Health

Ratings & Reviews

Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD has an average of 1.0 out of 5 stars based on 1 ratings. We collect ratings and reviews of Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD from all over the web to help you find the right in Worcester, MA.

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General Payments

These charts describe general payments received by Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD. Doctors may receive payments for a number of reasons, including meal compensation, travel compensation, and consulting.

**Payments by Company**
Pfizer Inc.	$8,554 NonCovered Product $3,200	Non-Covered Product $3,000	XELJANZ $438	INFLECTRA $400	PAXLOVID $194	Other $1,322
AbbVie, Inc.	$7,137 Humira $6,842	Rinvoq $98	Skyrizi $91	$107
Amgen Inc.	$6,156 Prolia $4,332	Otezla $811	Enbrel $716	Tavneos $93	AVSOLA $40	Other $165
UCB, Inc.	$6,086 Cimzia $2,286	$3,799
Janssen Biotech, Inc.	$5,217 STELARA $2,864	SIMPONI ARIA $1,336	REMICADE $606	SIMPONI $219	Tremfya $168	Other $24
Other	$30,696 KRYSTEXXA $5,705	BENLYSTA $2,065	ORENCIA $1,871	ACTHAR $1,266	Rinvoq $1,063	Other $18,726

**Types of Payments**
Food and Beverage	$37,532
Consulting Fee	$16,453
Compensation for services other than consulting, including serving as faculty or as a speaker at a venue other than a continuing education program	$7,240
Travel and Lodging	$2,151
Education	$420
Other	$50

Research Payments

Dr. Charles A. Birbara, MD has received 1524 research payments totaling $9,155,534.

Biography

Dr. Charles Birbara is a specialist in rheumatology (arthritis & autoimmune diseases). He works in Worcester, MA. In his practice, he is particularly interested in back pain, osteoporosis, and psoriatic arthritis. Dr. Birbara is affiliated with UMass Memorial HealthAlliance - Clinton Hospital and UMass Memorial Medical Center. He attended medical school at McGill University Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Birbara (or staff) is conversant in Arabic and French.