Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Sonia Ponce, MD

Optician · Chula Vista, CA
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Electrophysiology — Practice combining cardiac and electrophysiology services
Low-engagement
227 CHURCH AVE, Chula Vista, CA 91910
6197549500
In practice since 2009 (16 years)
NPI: 1164659033 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. Ponce 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 →
Are you Dr. Ponce? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Ponce

Dr. Sonia Ponce is an optician specialist in Chula Vista, CA, with 16 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ponce performed 656 Medicare services across 538 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ponce received a total of $7,503 from 29 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 279 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optician. 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. Ponce 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.

✓ 16 years in practice ▲ 656 Medicare services $7,503 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
656
Medicare services
Bottom 37% in CA for optician
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
538
Unique beneficiaries
$120
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~41 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.
213 $105 $281
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.
128 $12 $33
Echocardiogram, transthoracic
An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function.
103 $175 $461
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.
86 $131 $363
Continuous ECG monitoring, up to 30 days
Continuous heart rhythm monitoring for up to 30 days, including professional review and reporting of the results.
27 $21 $55
30-day continuous ECG with patient-triggered event transmission and review
This procedure involves continuous electrocardiogram monitoring for up to 30 days, including the transmission of patient-triggered events. A healthcare professional reviews the data and provides a report.
27 $779 $2,112
Heart muscle strain imaging 21 $33 $88
Echocardiogram, transthoracic
An ultrasound test that uses sound waves to create images of the heart's blood flow, valves, and chambers.
13 $45 $119
Echocardiogram with color Doppler
An ultrasound of the heart that uses color imaging to visualize blood flow, measure flow rate, and assess valve function.
13 $22 $93
Stress echocardiogram
An ultrasound of the heart performed while at rest and during exercise or drug-induced stress to evaluate heart function under different conditions.
13 $167 $437
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.
12 $51 $160
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.
17.7% high complexity
9.0% medium
73.3% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$7,503
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,072/year across 7 years
Top 17% in CA for optician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
29
Companies
279
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
$7,478 (99.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$25 (0.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$830
2023
$1,688
2022
$1,619
2021
$1,262
2020
$598
2019
$1,261
2018
$246

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$107
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$82
Novo Nordisk Inc
$71
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$64
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$63
Medtronic, Inc.
$59
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$47
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$46
Abbott Laboratories
$43
Amgen Inc.
$43
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$42
Lilly USA, LLC
$40
Boston Scientific Corporation
$38
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$26
Baxter Healthcare
$22
CVRx, Inc.
$18
PFIZER INC.
$18
Top 3 companies account for 31.4% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Abbott Laboratories
$1,504
BIOTRONIK INC.
$859
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$659
Novo Nordisk Inc
$624
Medtronic, Inc.
$514
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$327
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$326
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$284
Boston Scientific Corporation
$262
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$257
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$220
Amgen Inc.
$192
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$153
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$148
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$147
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$142
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$109
PFIZER INC.
$106
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$102
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$99
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
$92
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$80
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$70
Lilly USA, LLC
$63
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$45
Baxter Healthcare
$45
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$44
CVRx, Inc.
$18
Bardy Diagnostics, Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 40.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(7996) US Performance Serv · ASSURITY · AVEIR · AZURE XT DR MRI SURESCAN · Arcalyst · Assurity Pacemaker · Azure · BREZTRI · BRILINTA · Barostim Neo System · BioMonitor · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CONFIRM RX · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · CardioMEMS HF System · Carnation Ambulatory Monitor · Confirm Rx · Crome · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Evera · FARXIGA · FORTIFY ASSURA · FUROSCIX · GENERAL THERAPIES · Hillrom - Cardiac Ambulatory Monitor · Inpefa · JARDIANCE · LATITUDE · LEQVIO · LINQ II · LUX-Dx Insertable Cardiac Monitor · LifeVest · MICRA · MITRACLIP · Micra · MitraClip System · OPSUMIT · Optimizer · Ozempic · Quadra Assura CRT Defibrillator · RYBELSUS · Repatha · Reveal LINQ · Rivacor · Rybelsus · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · Saxenda · UPTRAVI · VERQUVO · Vascepa · Visia AF · WAINUA · WATCHMAN · WINREVAIR · Wegovy · XARELTO · ZEPBOUND
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 an optician specialist in Chula Vista?
Compare opticians in the Chula Vista area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse opticians nearby

Geographic Context

Opticians within 10 mi
380
Per 100K population
11.6
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
SHARP CHULA VISTA MEDICAL CENTER
2.2 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. Ponce is a cardiac & electrophysiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 17% of CA peers, with 16 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. Ponce experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ponce performed 213 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. Ponce receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ponce received a total of $7,503 from 29 companies across 279 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. Ponce's costs compare to other opticians in Chula Vista?
Dr. Ponce's average Medicare payment per service is $120. 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. Ponce) 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 →