Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Leopoldo Puga, MD
Cardiovascular Disease · Bakersfield, CA
Practice pattern: Electrophysiology & Remote
— Practice combining electrophysiology and remote services
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. Puga 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. Puga
Dr. Leopoldo Puga is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Bakersfield, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Puga performed 7,153 Medicare services across 3,982 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Puga received a total of $10,230 from 45 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 453 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. 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. Puga 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.
✓ 19 years in practice
▲ Top 11% volume in CA
$10,230 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗7,153
Medicare services
Top 11% in CA for cardiovascular disease
3,982
Unique beneficiaries
$93
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~376 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
1,948 | $11 | $35 |
| 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. |
1,038 | $70 | $189 |
| 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. |
764 | $84 | $268 |
| Remote vital sign monitoring management, each additional 20 minutes This code covers the time spent by a provider managing patient data from remote vital sign monitoring devices. It applies to each additional 20-minute increment beyond the initial monthly service period. |
440 | $32 | $82 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
433 | $159 | $423 |
| Routine 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) A test that records the electrical activity of the heart using at least 12 leads to produce a tracing. |
387 | $4 | $15 |
| Remote patient monitoring device, 30 days Initial setup of devices for remote monitoring of body functions with daily data transmission or alerts. This service covers the first 30 days of the monitoring period. |
274 | $41 | $110 |
| Remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month Management based on results from remote vital sign monitoring for the first 20 minutes per calendar month. |
240 | $39 | $103 |
| 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. |
189 | $123 | $347 |
| Remote pacemaker/defibrillator monitoring, 90 days Remote evaluation of a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator system within 90 days of the last check. |
127 | $19 | $49 |
| Remote pacemaker monitoring, 90 days Remote assessment of a pacemaker system, including single, dual, multiple lead, or leadless devices, performed up to 90 days apart. |
116 | $23 | $61 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
115 | $140 | $361 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test An injection of regadenoson, a medication used to stress the heart during diagnostic testing. |
92 | $36 | $125 |
| Remote monitoring of implantable heart rhythm device Evaluation of data transmitted remotely from an implantable cardiovascular monitor, such as a loop recorder or subcutaneous cardiac rhythm monitor, over a period up to 30 days. |
82 | $44 | $60 |
| 2-day continuous ECG with review and report A two-day continuous electrocardiogram recording that includes a professional review and written report of the results. |
69 | $55 | $158 |
| Remote monitoring of implantable heart device, up to 30 days Remote evaluation of an implanted heart or blood vessel monitoring system over a period of up to 30 days. |
65 | $20 | $53 |
| Pacemaker programming, dual lead system Adjustment and configuration of a dual-lead pacemaker device to ensure proper operation and settings. |
60 | $63 | $172 |
| Radiologist review of arm or leg artery image A radiologist reviews images of the arteries in the arm or leg. This process involves analyzing the visual data to assess the blood vessels. |
56 | $121 | $256 |
| Arterial catheter insertion, initial second order branch A procedure to insert a tube into a secondary branch of an artery in the abdomen, pelvis, or leg. |
52 | $465 | $1,287 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review. |
51 | $54 | $150 |
| Cardiac catheterization | 47 | $162 | $581 |
| Remote evaluation of implantable defibrillator system Remote assessment of a single, dual, or multiple lead implantable defibrillator system within 90 days of the previous evaluation. |
44 | $30 | $75 |
| Radiologist review of abdominal aorta image A radiologist reviews images of the abdominal aorta to evaluate the blood vessel. |
43 | $98 | $202 |
| Technetium Tc-99m sestamibi diagnostic injection A diagnostic injection of technetium Tc-99m sestamibi used for imaging studies. |
32 | $86 | $220 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range. |
31 | $85 | $233 |
| Ultrasound guidance for blood vessel access Use of ultrasound imaging to help locate and access a blood vessel. This guidance assists healthcare providers in performing procedures such as inserting IV lines or drawing blood. |
28 | $31 | $52 |
| Continuous external EKG monitoring, 8-15 days This procedure involves recording heart rhythm continuously using an external EKG device over a period of 8 to 15 days. |
28 | $9 | $27 |
| External EKG monitoring, 8-15 days Continuous external electrocardiogram recording and review over a period of 8 to 15 days to monitor heart rhythm. |
28 | $19 | $54 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
28 | $96 | $240 |
| Insertion of left lower heart electrode for pacemaker or defibrillator A procedure to place an electrode in the lower part of the left side of the heart. This electrode is used to connect a pacemaker or defibrillator to help regulate the heart's rhythm. |
23 | $361 | $922 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and during stress using a special camera. |
23 | $372 | $950 |
| Pacemaker system programming Adjustment and configuration of a pacemaker device to ensure proper operation. This service involves setting device parameters before or after surgical implantation. |
23 | $12 | $99 |
| Coronary stent placement A procedure to insert a stent into a coronary artery or its branch to keep it open, using balloon dilation during the process. |
22 | $396 | $1,144 |
| Arterial plaque removal, initial vessel A procedure to remove plaque buildup from an artery in the leg. This is performed on the first vessel treated during the session. |
21 | $7,644 | $18,676 |
| 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. |
20 | $45 | $119 |
| Pacemaker insertion with heart chamber electrodes A surgical procedure to implant a pacemaker device and place electrodes into the upper and lower chambers of the heart to regulate heart rhythm. |
17 | $332 | $1,044 |
| Removal of plaque, insertion of stent and/or balloon dilation of single coronary artery, branch or bypass graft | 16 | $447 | $1,294 |
| Remote physiologic monitoring setup and education Initial setup of remote monitoring equipment and patient education on its use. |
16 | $16 | $41 |
| Arterial plaque removal in leg A procedure to remove plaque buildup from the arteries in the leg to restore blood flow. |
14 | $5,383 | $18,666 |
| Programming of dual lead implantable defibrillator system Adjustment and testing of the settings for an implanted heart device with two leads to ensure proper function. |
14 | $77 | $212 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
14 | $162 | $416 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
12 | $105 | $329 |
| Insertion of implantable defibrillator system A surgical procedure to place an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) device into the body. The device is connected to the heart to monitor heart rhythm and deliver shocks if dangerous arrhythmias occur. |
11 | $631 | $1,836 |
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.
14.1% high complexity
3.4% medium
82.6% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$10,230
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,461/year across 7 years
Top 27% in CA for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
45
Companies
453
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
$10,230 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,607
2023
$1,985
2022
$1,572
2021
$1,030
2020
$653
2019
$757
2018
$2,625
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Abbott Laboratories
$262
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$216
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$162
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$147
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$93
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$90
Amgen Inc.
$88
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$69
ABIOMED
$67
PFIZER INC.
$66
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$66
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$61
CVRx, Inc.
$51
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$30
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$28
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$21
Philips North America LLC
$21
AltaThera Pharmaceuticals LLC
$20
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$18
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$18
Boston Scientific Corporation
$15
Top 3 companies account for 39.8% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$1,215
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$1,181
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$822
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$783
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$585
Abbott Laboratories
$566
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$450
Boston Scientific Corporation
$399
Amgen Inc.
$392
CVRx, Inc.
$357
CARDIVA MEDICAL, INC.
$355
PFIZER INC.
$292
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$281
ABIOMED
$251
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$225
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$222
Medtronic, Inc.
$211
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$196
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$147
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$144
Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
$144
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$135
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$93
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$87
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$85
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$84
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$78
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$67
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$41
Novo Nordisk Inc
$33
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$32
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$30
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$23
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
$22
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$21
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$21
Philips North America LLC
$21
AltaThera Pharmaceuticals LLC
$20
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$18
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$18
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$18
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$17
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$16
Braemar Manufacturing, LLC
$16
Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 31.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(5044) MCOT · AMPLATZER AMULET · ATTAIN COMMAND + SUREVALVE · AURYON LASER SYSTEM 100-120 VAC · Advisa · Arcalyst · Assure WCD · Attain · Azure · BRILINTA · Barostim Neo System · CAMZYOS · CARDIVA VASCADE 6/7F VCS · CHANTIX · CONFIRM RX · CONTOUR 3D · Cardiac Monitoring Suite · CareLink · CareLink Express · CoreValve Evolut · Diamondback Peripheral · ELIQUIS · EMBLEM MRI S-ICD · EMBLEM S ICD ELECTRODE DELIVERY SYSTEM · ENSITE · ENSITE PRECISION · ENTRESTO · FARXIGA · FUROSCIX · Flexitouch Plus · GALLANT · GENERAL - TACHY · General - Tachy · General - Therapies · IGT_D Peripheral · IGT_D Therapy · INSPIRE · IVUS Systems · Impella · Inpefa · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · JOT DX · Kerendia · LATITUDE · LEQVIO · LUX DX · LUX-Dx Insertable Cardiac Monitor · LifeVest · Livalo · MERLIN@HOME · MICRA · MITRACLIP · MYCARELINK · MitraClip System · NC TREK NEO · ONPATTRO · PERCLOSE PROGLIDE · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · PRALUENT ALIROCUMAB INJECTION · Perclose ProGlide suture mediated closure system · REVEAL LINQ · ROTALINK · Repatha · Reveal LINQ · SAMSCA · SENSOR ENABLED · Shockwave IVL System with the Shockwave C2 Coronary IVL Catheter · Sotalol Hydrochloride · TACTICATH ABLATION CATHETER · TEGSEDI · TYRX · UPTRAVI · VENASEAL · VERQUVO · VYNDAQEL · Vascepa · Visia AF · WAINUA · WATCHMAN Access System · XARELTO · XIENCE SIERRA · XIENCE SKYPOINT · ZIO Patch · ZIO XT Patch
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.
Geographic Context
Cardiologists within 10 mi
30
Per 100K population
3.3
County median income
$67,660
Nearest hospital
BAKERSFIELD BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE HOSPITAL, LLC
4.6 mi
4.6 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. Puga is an electrophysiology & remote specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 11% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 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. Puga experienced with electrocardiogram (ekg), 12-lead?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Puga performed 1,948 electrocardiogram (ekg), 12-lead 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. Puga receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Puga received a total of $10,230 from 45 companies across 453 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. Puga's costs compare to other cardiologists in Bakersfield?
Dr. Puga's average Medicare payment per service is $93. 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. Puga) 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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