Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Sartaj Sandhu, M.D.

Geriatric Medicine (Internal Medicine) Physician · Chico, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
680 COHASSET RD, Chico, CA 95926
5303424395
In practice since 2012 (13 years)
NPI: 1073861654 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. Sandhu 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. Sandhu

Dr. Sartaj Sandhu is a geriatric medicine physician in Chico, CA, with 13 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Sandhu performed 298 Medicare services across 262 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Sandhu received a total of $2,432 from 27 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 87 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in geriatric medicine (internal medicine) 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. Sandhu 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.

✓ 13 years in practice ▲ 298 Medicare services $2,432 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
298
Medicare services
Bottom 27% in CA for geriatric medicine (internal medicine) physician
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
262
Unique beneficiaries
$77
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~23 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 (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.
117 $99 $280
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.
50 $79 $280
Flu vaccine administration
This procedure involves the administration of the influenza virus vaccine. It covers the process of delivering the vaccine to the patient.
31 $32 $67
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.
29 $72 $122
Urinalysis, manual
A manual laboratory examination of a urine sample to check for various substances and cells.
27 $3 $20
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.
16 $112 $360
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)
An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter.
16 $149 $392
Blood glucose test using hand-held instrument
A test that measures the level of sugar in the blood using a portable device. The result helps monitor blood glucose levels.
12 $3 $14
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 ↗
$2,432
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $405/year across 6 years
Top 19% in CA for geriatric medicine (internal medicine) physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
27
Companies
87
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
$2,432 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$317
2023
$1,015
2022
$503
2021
$155
2019
$110
2018
$331

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc.
$103
ABBVIE INC.
$50
Ascensia Diabetes Care Us Inc.
$49
Dexcom, Inc.
$49
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$25
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$21
Exact Sciences Corporation
$20
Top 3 companies account for 63.7% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$336
Novo Nordisk Inc
$293
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$233
AbbVie Inc.
$213
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$142
Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc.
$123
Organogenesis Inc.
$120
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$119
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$117
Lilly USA, LLC
$102
ABBVIE INC.
$85
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$70
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$65
Ascensia Diabetes Care Us Inc.
$49
Dexcom, Inc.
$49
Exact Sciences Corporation
$47
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$41
Kyowa Kirin, Inc.
$32
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$31
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$28
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$24
Corcept Therapeutics
$22
Theratechnologies Inc.
$22
SANOFI PASTEUR INC.
$19
PFIZER INC.
$18
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$16
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 35.4% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ANORO · COSENTYX · CREON · Cologuard Collection Kit · Crysvita · DIFICID · DUPIXENT · Dexcom G6 Transmitter · EGRIFTA · EMGALITY · ENTRESTO · EVERSENSE 365 SENSOR KIT (RETAIL) · EVERSENSE E3 SENSOR KIT - RETAIL · FARXIGA · GARDASIL 9 · GEMTESA · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · Korlym · LINZESS · MAVYRET · MOUNJARO · NURTEC ODT · OFEV · Ozempic · Puraply · QUADRACEL · Respiratoriy Care Undiv · Rybelsus · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · SYNTHROID · Saxenda · TOUJEO · TRULICITY · UBRELVY · VIBERZI · VRAYLAR · XIFAXAN · t-slim insulin pump · t:slim X2 Insulin Pump with Control-IQ
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 geriatric medicine physician in Chico?
Compare geriatric medicine physicians in the Chico area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Geriatric medicine physicians within 10 mi
1
Per 100K population
0.5
County median income
$68,574
Nearest hospital
ENLOE HEALTH
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. Sandhu is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 19% of CA peers.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Sandhu experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Sandhu performed 117 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. Sandhu receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Sandhu received a total of $2,432 from 27 companies across 87 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. Sandhu's costs compare to other geriatric medicine physicians in Chico?
Dr. Sandhu's average Medicare payment per service is $77. 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. Sandhu) 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 →