Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Kenneth Romero, MD

Pain Medicine · Chula Vista, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
752 MEDICAL CENTER CT, Chula Vista, CA 91911
6196563805
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1902832702 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. Romero 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. Romero

Dr. Kenneth Romero is a pain medicine specialist in Chula Vista, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Romero performed 886 Medicare services across 343 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Romero received a total of $6,899 from 17 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 305 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pain 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. Romero 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 43% volume in CA $6,899 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
886
Medicare services
Top 43% in CA for pain medicine
343
Unique beneficiaries
$121
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~47 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, 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.
573 $148 $550
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.
80 $10 $433
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.
34 $110 $491
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.
29 $75 $2,397
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.
29 $42 $780
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 25 $165 $1,704
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.
23 $160 $3,183
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.
22 $92 $1,935
Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint
This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional lower or sacral spinal facet joint.
21 $48 $2,686
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.
18 $69 $2,833
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
17 $66 $1,906
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.
15 $82 $1,600
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 ↗
$6,899
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $986/year across 7 years
Top 26% in CA for pain medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
17
Companies
305
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
$6,633 (96.1%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$266 (3.9%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,020
2023
$1,269
2022
$1,585
2021
$814
2020
$507
2019
$878
2018
$827

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$583
Abbott Laboratories
$151
Curonix LLC
$88
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$79
Medtronic, Inc.
$65
Boston Scientific Corporation
$37
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 80.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medtronic, Inc.
$2,236
Abbott Laboratories
$1,462
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$773
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$583
Nevro Corp.
$487
Boston Scientific Corporation
$448
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$254
Curonix LLC
$243
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$115
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$65
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$57
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$54
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$42
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$34
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$18
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$17
PFIZER INC.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 64.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ABSOLUTE PRO · ACCURIAN · BUNAVAIL 2.1 mg 30-count box · Belbuca · CFNS StimQ Peripheral Nerve StimulatorSystem · ETERNA · Evoke · Evoke SCS · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · General - Pain Management · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · IONICRF · LUCEMYRA · LYRICA · MYSTIM · Morphabond ER · Movantik · Nalu Neurostimulation System · OCTRODE · Omnia · PNS FREEDOM-4A PERMANENT NEUROSTIMULATOR RECEIVER KIT CHANNEL A · PROCLAIM · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · Prodigy Family of SCS IPGs · RELISTOR · RELISTOR ORAL · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPRINT PNS System · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · StimQ Receiver Stimulator Kit Channel A US w Receiver · StimQ Receiver Stimulator Kit Channel A US w/Receiver · VANTA ADAPTIVESTIM · Vanta · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XTAMPZA · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH
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 (96%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a pain medicine specialist in Chula Vista?
Compare pain medicines in the Chula Vista area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse pain medicines nearby

Geographic Context

Pain medicines within 10 mi
38
Per 100K population
1.2
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
SHARP CHULA VISTA MEDICAL CENTER
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. Romero is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, 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. Romero experienced with office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Romero performed 573 office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 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. Romero receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Romero received a total of $6,899 from 17 companies across 305 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. Romero's costs compare to other pain medicines in Chula Vista?
Dr. Romero's average Medicare payment per service is $121. 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. Romero) 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 →