Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Reginald Ajakwe, M.D.
Pain Medicine · Burbank, CA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice
— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Speaking/Promotional
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. Ajakwe 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. Ajakwe
Dr. Reginald Ajakwe is a pain medicine specialist in Burbank, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ajakwe performed 7,290 Medicare services across 1,309 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ajakwe received a total of $48,255 from 47 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 729 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pain medicine. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Ajakwe 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 6% volume in CA
$48,255 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗7,290
Medicare services
Top 6% in CA for pain medicine
1,309
Unique beneficiaries
$29
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~384 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joint lubricant injection (GenVisc) An injection of hyaluronan or its derivative into a joint space to provide lubrication and cushioning. |
4,093 | $8 | $30 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
1,421 | $1 | $7 |
| 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. |
450 | $65 | $566 |
| 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. |
221 | $100 | $747 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
209 | $51 | $408 |
| 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. |
121 | $229 | $3,971 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
106 | $62 | $3,328 |
| 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. |
101 | $127 | $1,354 |
| Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement Use of real-time X-ray imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
64 | $103 | $878 |
| Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older. |
48 | $45 | $481 |
| 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. |
42 | $216 | $3,157 |
| 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. |
41 | $100 | $3,282 |
| 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. |
41 | $116 | $1,541 |
| Additional sedation, per 15 minutes Administration of a drug to deepen sedation during a procedure. This code covers each additional 15-minute increment of sedation beyond the initial period. |
41 | $10 | $104 |
| 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. |
39 | $227 | $4,014 |
| 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. |
38 | $186 | $4,775 |
| Midazolam injection, per 1 mg Administration of midazolam hydrochloride, a sedative medication, measured in 1 mg increments. |
28 | $0 | $8 |
| Trigger point injection, 3 or more muscles Injection of medication into three or more specific muscle trigger points to relieve pain. |
25 | $50 | $1,220 |
| 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. |
17 | $232 | $3,764 |
| 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. |
17 | $12 | $39 |
| Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator with complex programming This procedure involves the electronic evaluation of an implanted neurostimulator generator. It includes complex programming of spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulators. |
16 | $34 | $980 |
| 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. |
16 | $145 | $1,100 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the upper or middle spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
15 | $209 | $3,465 |
| Injection, fentanyl citrate, 0.1 mg | 15 | $1 | $7 |
| 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. |
14 | $100 | $1,573 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging An injection into a second spinal facet joint in the upper or middle spine, guided by imaging to ensure accurate placement. |
13 | $121 | $1,717 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint A procedure to destroy nerves in a single lower or sacral spinal facet joint using imaging guidance to target pain signals. |
13 | $539 | $5,281 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional lower or sacral spinal facet joint. |
13 | $300 | $2,207 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service. |
12 | $66 | $395 |
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 ↗$48,255
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $6,894/year across 7 years
Top 7% in CA for pain medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
47
Companies
729
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.
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$28,265 (58.6%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$19,302 (40.0%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$687 (1.4%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,900
2023
$1,590
2022
$4,541
2021
$2,473
2020
$1,549
2019
$7,512
2018
$28,689
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boston Scientific Corporation
$812
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$381
Abbott Laboratories
$278
Nevro Corp.
$133
Medtronic, Inc.
$104
PAINTEQ LLC
$89
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$37
MIMEDX Group, Inc.
$31
Virtus Pharmaceuticals LLC
$19
Merit Medical Systems Inc
$18
Top 3 companies account for 77.4% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Nevro Corp.
$31,295
Abbott Laboratories
$7,075
Boston Scientific Corporation
$1,697
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$1,541
Vertiflex, Inc.
$1,444
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$898
PAINTEQ LLC
$539
Medtronic, Inc.
$436
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$407
Sentynl Therapeutics, Inc.
$375
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$359
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$343
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$256
TerSera Therapeutics LLC
$226
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$169
BIONESS INC
$127
Bioventus LLC
$68
Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$67
Allergan, Inc.
$60
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$59
Virtus Pharmaceuticals LLC
$57
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$54
Flowonix Medical Incorporated
$49
Radius Health, Inc.
$49
PFIZER INC.
$39
Horizon Pharma plc
$37
Allergan Inc.
$36
Electronic Waveform Lab, Inc.
$36
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$36
ABBVIE INC.
$35
Egalet US Inc
$32
Stryker Corporation
$32
MIMEDX Group, Inc.
$31
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$28
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$28
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$24
AbbVie Inc.
$23
RTI Surgical, Inc.
$23
DJO, LLC
$22
Alfasigma USA, Inc.
$20
Fidia Pharma USA Inc.
$20
Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.
$18
Merit Medical Systems Inc
$18
Novo Nordisk Inc
$17
Lilly USA, LLC
$17
Nuvectra Corporation
$17
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 83.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ASCENDA · Algovita · Allograft · Axium INS DRG IPG · Axium Sheath Braided DRG · BOTOX · Cambia · DRG IPGs · Durolane · EMGALITY · ETERNA · FLOSEAL · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · General - Pain Management · HYMOVIS · INFINION · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · IVS - AUTOPLEX SYSTEM · Intracept · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · KYPHON EXPRESS II KYPHOPAK TRAY · LEVORPHANOL TARTRATE · LUX-Dx Insertable Cardiac Monitor · LYRICA · Levorphanol · Levorphanol Tartrate · MONOVISC · Nalu Neurostimulation System · OCTRODE · ORTHOVISC · Omnia · Ozempic · PAINTEQ · PEAK · PENNSAID · PRIALT · PROCARE Bracing & Supports · PROCLAIM · Penta SCS Leads · Prialt · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · Proclaim Plus SCS with FlexBurst360 · Prometra II · QULIPTA · QUTENZA · Qutenza · RAYOS · SCS IPGs · SEGLENTIS · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPRINT PNS System · SPRIX · STAR Tumor Ablation System · SUPERION · Seglentis · Senza · Senza II · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · SlimTip lead DRG Lead · StimQ Receiver Stimulator Kit Channel A US w/Receiver · StimRouter for pain · Superion · Superion ISS · Superion Indirect Decompression System · TARGETSTIM · Tymlos · UBRELVY · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH · 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 →
The majority of payments (59%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in pain medicine and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 7% for pain medicine in CA.
Geographic Context
Pain medicines within 10 mi
102
Per 100K population
1.0
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
PROVIDENCE SAINT JOSEPH MEDICAL CTR
0.0 mi
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. Ajakwe is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 6% in CA), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 7% 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. Ajakwe experienced with joint lubricant injection (genvisc)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ajakwe performed 4,093 joint lubricant injection (genvisc) 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. Ajakwe receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ajakwe received a total of $48,255 from 47 companies across 729 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. Ajakwe's costs compare to other pain medicines in Burbank?
Dr. Ajakwe's average Medicare payment per service is $29. 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. Ajakwe) 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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