Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Christine Szeto, MD

Family Medicine · Burbank, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
201 S BUENA VISTA ST, Burbank, CA 91505
8188427145
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1437182185 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. Szeto 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. Szeto

Dr. Christine Szeto is a family medicine specialist in Burbank, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Szeto performed 1,385 Medicare services across 1,042 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Szeto received a total of $3,632 from 38 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 163 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in family medicine. 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. Szeto 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 16% volume in CA $3,632 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,385
Medicare services
Top 16% in CA for family medicine
1,042
Unique beneficiaries
$75
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~73 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.
396 $56 $110
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.
270 $98 $197
Annual wellness visit, follow-up
A follow-up annual wellness visit that includes a personalized prevention plan of service.
254 $140 $297
Blood draw (venipuncture)
Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample.
101 $8 $30
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.
89 $10 $75
Flu vaccine administration
This procedure involves the administration of the influenza virus vaccine. It covers the process of delivering the vaccine to the patient.
62 $33 $50
Flu vaccine, high-dose
High-dose seasonal influenza vaccine for adults aged 65 and older. Contains four times the antigen of standard-dose flu vaccines (60 mcg per strain), split-virus formulation, preservative-free, single-dose syringe.
60 $72 $100
Telephone medical discussion, 21-30 minutes
A telephone conversation with a physician lasting between 21 and 30 minutes. This code covers the time spent discussing medical matters over the phone.
52 $91 $197
Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes
A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes.
27 $59 $111
Initial preventive physical examination, new Medicare beneficiary
A comprehensive preventive health visit for new Medicare beneficiaries during their first 12 months of enrollment. The service is conducted as a face-to-face visit and is limited to preventive care.
22 $179 $300
Pelvic and clinical breast exam for cancer screening
A physical examination of the pelvis and breasts to screen for cervical or vaginal cancer. This procedure involves a clinical assessment performed by a healthcare provider.
18 $43 $79
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.
12 $52 $163
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.
11 $33 $66
Routine 12-lead ECG screening
A standard 12-lead electrocardiogram performed as part of an initial preventive physical examination. The service includes both the performance of the test and the physician's interpretation and report.
11 $4 $46
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 ↗
$3,632
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $519/year across 7 years
Top 11% in CA for family medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
38
Companies
163
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
$3,616 (99.6%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$16 (0.4%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$576
2023
$306
2022
$439
2021
$718
2020
$619
2019
$521
2018
$453

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Hologic Sales and Service, LLC
$100
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$87
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$86
ITI, Inc. (d/b/a Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc.)
$83
Amgen Inc.
$62
ABBVIE INC.
$41
Novo Nordisk Inc
$41
Exact Sciences Corporation
$33
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$30
IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS US INC
$15
Top 3 companies account for 47.2% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
ABBVIE INC.
$352
PFIZER INC.
$326
AbbVie Inc.
$291
Allergan Inc.
$266
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$251
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$211
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$173
Amgen Inc.
$130
Allergan, Inc.
$124
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$107
Melinta Therapeutics, Inc.
$105
Hologic, LLC
$102
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$102
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$102
Hologic Sales and Service, LLC
$100
Bausch Health US, LLC
$93
ITI, Inc. (d/b/a Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc.)
$83
Novo Nordisk Inc
$77
Cranial Technologies, Inc
$73
Exact Sciences Corporation
$63
TherapeuticsMD, Inc.
$59
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$40
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$39
IBSA Pharma Inc.
$37
Eisai Inc.
$35
Upsher-Smith Laboratories LLC
$35
IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS US INC
$32
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$30
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$29
MAYNE PHARMA INC.
$24
Avion Pharmaceuticals
$22
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$22
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$18
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$16
Sanofi Pasteur Inc.
$16
AbbVie, Inc.
$16
AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$16
Vertiflex, Inc.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 26.7% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AIRSUPRA · ANNOVERA · APLENZIN · APTIMA · AREXVY · Aimovig · Androgel · BEXSERO · BOOSTRIX · BREZTRI · BREZTRI AEROSPHERE · Balcoltra · CAPLYTA · CAPVAXIVE · CHANTIX · COLOGUARD · COLOGUARD DNA CAPTURE REAGENTS · Cologuard Collection Kit · Dayvigo · Descovy · Doc Band · ELIQUIS · GARDASIL 9 · IMVEXXY · INTRAROSA · JARDIANCE · LO LOESTRIN FE · MENACTRA · MYRBETRIQ · NUCALA · NURTEC ODT · Orbactiv · Otezla · Ozempic · PREVNAR - 13 · PREVNAR 13 · PREVNAR 20 · QUDEXY XR Topiramate Extended Release Capsules · QULIPTA · QUVIVIQ · SHINGRIX · SYMBICORT · SYNTHROID · Superion ISS · TEFLARO · THINPREP 2000 PROCESSOR · TOSYMRA SUMATRIPTAN NASAL SPRAY · TRADJENTA · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRINTELLIX · Thin Prep · ThinPrep · Tirosint · Trintellix · UBRELVY · VIIBRYD · VRAYLAR · Vascepa · XIFAXAN
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.

Looking for a family medicine specialist in Burbank?
Compare family medicine physicians in the Burbank area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Family medicine physicians within 10 mi
2,855
Per 100K population
29.0
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
PROVIDENCE SAINT JOSEPH MEDICAL CTR
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 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. Szeto is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 16% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 11% of CA peers, 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. Szeto experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Szeto performed 396 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. Szeto receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Szeto received a total of $3,632 from 38 companies across 163 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. Szeto's costs compare to other family medicine physicians in Burbank?
Dr. Szeto's average Medicare payment per service is $75. 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. Szeto) 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 →
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 →