Medicare Enrolled

Dr. David Lieu, M.D.

Cytopathology Physician · Alhambra, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
320 S GARFIELD AVE, Alhambra, CA 91801
6262817800
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1912966680 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. Lieu 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. Lieu? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Lieu

Dr. David Lieu is a cytopathology physician in Alhambra, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Lieu performed 814 Medicare services across 783 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Lieu received a total of $359 from 3 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 3 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cytopathology physician. 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. Lieu 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.

✓ 20 years in practice ▲ 814 Medicare services $359 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
814
Medicare services
Bottom 32% in CA for cytopathology physician
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
783
Unique beneficiaries
$90
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~41 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
New patient office visit, 15-29 minutes
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting 15 to 29 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter meets this duration threshold.
 280 $58 $151
Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy, first lesion
A biopsy procedure where a thin needle is used to collect tissue samples from a growth, guided by ultrasound imaging. This code applies to the first lesion or mass sampled during the session.
 277 $111 $489
Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy, each additional growth
This procedure involves using ultrasound guidance to perform a fine needle aspiration biopsy on an additional growth during the same session.
 103 $51 $433
Ultrasound of head and neck soft tissue
This procedure uses sound waves to create images of the soft tissues in the head and neck area. It allows for the visualization of structures beneath the skin without using radiation.
 98 $100 $189
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
 34 $45 $90
Breast biopsy with ultrasound-guided localization device placement
This procedure involves taking a tissue sample from a breast growth and placing a marker device to locate it, guided by ultrasound imaging.
 22 $463 $890
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.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2023 ↗
$359
Total received (2019-2023)
Avg $120/year across 3 years
Top 22% in CA for cytopathology physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
3
Companies
3
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
$334 (93.0%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$25 (7.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2023
$293
2022
$25
2019
$41

Payments by company (2023)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
LEICA MICROSYSTEMS INC.
$293
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2023 payments
All-time payments by company (2019-2023) ›
LEICA MICROSYSTEMS INC.
$293
Stemline Therapeutics Inc.
$41
McKesson Medical-Surgical, Inc.
$25
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ELZONRIS
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 (93%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a cytopathology physician in Alhambra?
Compare cytopathology physicians in the Alhambra area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse cytopathology physicians nearby

Geographic Context

Cytopathology physicians within 10 mi
75
Per 100K population
0.8
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
ALHAMBRA HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER
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 2023
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. Lieu is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Lieu experienced with new patient office visit, 15-29 minutes?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Lieu performed 280 new patient office visit, 15-29 minutes 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. Lieu receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Lieu received a total of $359 from 3 companies across 3 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. Lieu's costs compare to other cytopathology physicians in Alhambra?
Dr. Lieu's average Medicare payment per service is $90. 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. Lieu) 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 →

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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 →