Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Arturo Palencia, MD
Anesthesiology · Bakersfield, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
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. Palencia 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Palencia
Dr. Arturo Palencia is an anesthesiology specialist in Bakersfield, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Palencia performed 3,037 Medicare services across 1,493 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Palencia received a total of $13,985 from 36 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 399 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in anesthesiology. 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. Palencia 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
▲ Top 1% volume in CA
$13,985 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗3,037
Medicare services
Top 1% in CA for anesthesiology
1,493
Unique beneficiaries
$50
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~152 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
1,500 | $65 | $170 |
| Ketorolac injection, per 15 mg An injection of ketorolac tromethamine, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, administered in doses measured per 15 mg. |
422 | $0 | $24 |
| Drug test with direct observation A drug screening test performed under direct observation to ensure the sample is provided correctly. This method is used to verify the integrity of the specimen collection process. |
276 | $12 | $62 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle A procedure involving the administration of a medication or substance via injection into the subcutaneous tissue or muscle. |
134 | $11 | $50 |
| Injection of anesthetic or steroid into sacroiliac joint with imaging guidance This procedure involves injecting an anesthetic or steroid medication into the joint connecting the lower spine and hip bone. Imaging guidance is used to ensure accurate placement of the injection. |
124 | $62 | $1,400 |
| 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. |
86 | $127 | $448 |
| 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. |
86 | $82 | $272 |
| Injection into lower spine canal with imaging guidance A procedure where a substance is injected into the lower part of the spinal canal. The injection is performed using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
62 | $73 | $936 |
| Sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a sacral spine nerve root. The procedure uses imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
55 | $116 | $1,618 |
| Trigger point injection, 3 or more muscles Injection of medication into three or more specific muscle trigger points to relieve pain. |
49 | $44 | $600 |
| Methylprednisolone acetate injection, 20 mg A 20 mg injection of methylprednisolone acetate, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
49 | $4 | $12 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
46 | $1 | $14 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the lower or sacral spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
23 | $70 | $1,000 |
| Spinal injection with imaging guidance A procedure where medication is injected into the middle or upper part of the spinal canal. Imaging technology is used to guide the needle to the correct location. |
22 | $86 | $974 |
| Methylprednisolone acetate injection, 80 mg An injection of 80 mg of methylprednisolone acetate, a corticosteroid medication. |
22 | $9 | $40 |
| Ultrasound-guided large joint aspiration or injection This procedure uses ultrasound imaging to guide the removal of fluid from or the injection of medication into a large joint. |
21 | $82 | $300 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging guidance An injection into a lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance for the second level treated. |
20 | $41 | $800 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 16 | $157 | $558 |
| Additional sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into an additional sacral spine nerve root level, guided by imaging. |
13 | $41 | $900 |
| Spinal drug pump reprogramming and refill Electronic adjustment of the settings for a spinal drug infusion pump and replenishment of the medication reservoir. |
11 | $37 | $500 |
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 2024 ↗$13,985
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,998/year across 7 years
Top 3% in CA for anesthesiology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
36
Companies
399
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
$13,985 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,239
2023
$1,502
2022
$2,833
2021
$1,220
2020
$1,956
2019
$3,990
2018
$1,244
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Nevro Corp.
$490
Boston Scientific Corporation
$332
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$219
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$76
Medtronic, Inc.
$70
PAINTEQ LLC
$28
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$24
Top 3 companies account for 84.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Nevro Corp.
$3,391
Boston Scientific Corporation
$2,651
Vertiflex, Inc.
$2,024
Spinal Simplicity, LLC
$1,241
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$1,075
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$687
PAINTEQ LLC
$627
Medtronic, Inc.
$462
Flowonix Medical Incorporated
$357
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$210
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$180
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$137
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$111
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$110
PFIZER INC.
$89
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$76
Stratus Medical, LLC
$69
BIODELIVERY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
$62
Avanos Medical
$61
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$42
Abbott Laboratories
$34
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$34
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$32
Zyla Life Sciences
$28
SI-BONE, Inc.
$21
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$21
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$20
TerSera Therapeutics LLC
$18
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$18
SI-BONE, INC.
$18
US WorldMeds, LLC
$15
Merit Medical Systems Inc
$14
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$13
Lilly USA, LLC
$13
Shionogi Inc
$11
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$11
Top 3 companies account for 57.7% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ARTISAN · BELBUCA · BELSOMRA · BUNAVAIL 2.1 mg 30-count box · Belbuca · EMBEDA · EMGALITY · Fixate · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - THERAPIES · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERATOR · General - Pain Management · HA MINUTEMAN G3-R · HYSINGLA ER · IFUSE IMPLANT · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Infinion 16 · Intracept · LYRICA · Linear · Lucemyra/Lofexidine · MONOVISC · MOVANTIK · MYSTIM · Morphabond ER · Movantik · NA · Nimbus · Omnia · PAINTEQ · PRIALT · PROCLAIM · Prometra II · Qutenza · RELISTOR · RESTORE · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER (REFURBISHED) · SPRIX · SUPERION · SYNCHROMED · Senza · Senza II · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Spectra WaveWriter · StabiliT · Superion · Superion ISS · Superion Indirect Decompression System · Symproic · TARGETSTIM · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XTAMPZA · XTAMPZAER · XtampzaER · ZTLido · mild Device Kit
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. Total industry engagement is in the top 3% for anesthesiology in CA.
Geographic Context
Anesthesiologists within 10 mi
52
Per 100K population
5.7
County median income
$67,660
Nearest hospital
BAKERSFIELD BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE HOSPITAL, LLC
14.3 mi
14.3 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. Palencia is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 1% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 3% of CA peers, 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. Palencia experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Palencia performed 1,500 office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 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. Palencia receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Palencia received a total of $13,985 from 36 companies across 399 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. Palencia's costs compare to other anesthesiologists in Bakersfield?
Dr. Palencia's average Medicare payment per service is $50. 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. Palencia) 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.
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