Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Charles Stevens, M.D.
Pain Medicine · El Centro, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
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. Stevens 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. Stevens
Dr. Charles Stevens is a pain medicine specialist in El Centro, CA, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Stevens performed 11,538 Medicare services across 2,750 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Stevens received a total of $17,080 from 46 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 462 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. Stevens 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.
✓ 18 years in practice
▲ Top 3% volume in CA
$17,080 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗11,538
Medicare services
Top 3% in CA for pain medicine
2,750
Unique beneficiaries
$37
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~641 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
4,566 | $1 | $10 |
| 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. |
2,930 | $63 | $227 |
| Dexamethasone injection (steroid) An injection of dexamethasone sodium phosphate, a corticosteroid medication, administered in a dose of 1 milligram. |
768 | $0 | $10 |
| Contrast dye for imaging (iodine-based) A contrast agent containing 300-399 mg/ml of iodine used to enhance imaging studies. It is administered per milliliter to improve the visibility of internal structures. |
600 | $0 | $5 |
| 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. |
485 | $99 | $323 |
| 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. |
459 | $12 | $47 |
| 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. |
273 | $87 | $386 |
| 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. |
224 | $232 | $576 |
| 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. |
168 | $86 | $402 |
| Contrast dye for imaging, lower concentration | 151 | $0 | $5 |
| Midazolam injection, per 1 mg Administration of midazolam hydrochloride, a sedative medication, measured in 1 mg increments. |
146 | $0 | $26 |
| 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. |
101 | $190 | $865 |
| 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. |
101 | $97 | $544 |
| Injection, fentanyl citrate, 0.1 mg | 97 | $1 | $5 |
| 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. |
85 | $119 | $419 |
| 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. |
76 | $38 | $122 |
| 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. |
46 | $467 | $1,333 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional lower or sacral spinal facet joint. |
42 | $192 | $328 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
37 | $50 | $227 |
| Trigger point injection, 3 or more muscles Injection of medication into three or more specific muscle trigger points to relieve pain. |
36 | $40 | $159 |
| 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. |
32 | $200 | $657 |
| Ultrasound guidance for needle placement Use of ultrasound imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
21 | $36 | $466 |
| Spinal and pelvic nerve injection with imaging guidance An anesthetic and/or steroid medication is injected into nerves in the spine or pelvis while using imaging to guide the needle placement. |
19 | $230 | $649 |
| 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. |
18 | $8 | $22 |
| 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. |
16 | $212 | $938 |
| 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. |
16 | $104 | $381 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy the nerves supplying a single upper or middle spinal facet joint. It is performed to interrupt pain signals from that specific joint. |
13 | $368 | $1,231 |
| 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. |
12 | $40 | $261 |
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 ↗$17,080
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $2,440/year across 7 years
Top 12% in CA for pain medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
46
Companies
462
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
$17,080 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$968
2023
$2,375
2022
$1,160
2021
$2,378
2020
$2,169
2019
$1,584
2018
$6,445
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic, Inc.
$484
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$152
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$95
Abbott Laboratories
$71
PAINTEQ LLC
$56
Lilly USA, LLC
$32
SI-BONE, INC.
$25
Novo Nordisk Inc
$21
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$16
Boston Scientific Corporation
$15
Top 3 companies account for 75.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Boston Scientific Corporation
$3,822
Abbott Laboratories
$3,250
Nevro Corp.
$3,076
Nuvectra Corporation
$1,296
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$868
Genesys Orthopedics Systems, L.L.C.
$861
Medtronic, Inc.
$484
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$463
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$332
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$309
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$306
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$213
Electronic Waveform Lab, Inc.
$208
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$143
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$132
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$131
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$116
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$110
Shionogi Inc
$83
Novo Nordisk Inc
$69
Spinal Simplicity, LLC
$60
PFIZER INC.
$59
PAINTEQ LLC
$56
Lilly USA, LLC
$53
Bioventus LLC
$49
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$48
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$48
Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA
$44
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$42
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$39
Neuronetics, Inc.
$28
Penumbra, Inc.
$27
SI-BONE, INC.
$25
SI-BONE, Inc.
$25
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$24
Metacel Pharmaceuticals LLC
$24
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$20
Ziehm Imaging, Inc.
$18
ORTHOSCAN, INC.
$18
Carolina Liquid Chemistries Corp
$16
ABBVIE INC.
$15
IBSA Pharma Inc.
$15
Eisai Inc.
$15
Indivior Inc.
$15
Horizon Pharma plc
$14
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 59.4% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AIMOVIG · AMITIZA · ANDEXXA · Algovita · Amitiza · BELSOMRA · CFNS StimQ Peripheral Nerve StimulatorSystem · DUEXIS · Dayvigo · Durolane · EMGALITY · ETERNA · Exparel · FARXIGA · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · HA MINUTEMAN G3-R · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Iovera System · Kloxxado · LYRICA · Licart · Morphabond ER · Movantik · NEUROSTAR TMS THERAPY SYSTEM · NURTEC ODT · Neuromodulation Dspsbls and Accs · OCTRODE · OSTEOCOOL RF ABLATION · Omnia · Ozobax · PAINTEQ · PROCLAIM · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · Protege Family of SCS IPGs · RELISTOR · RESTORE · REYVOW · Real Immersive System · SACROILIAC JOINT FUSION SYSTEM · SCS IPGs · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPRINT PNS System · SUBLOCADE · SYMPROIC · Saxenda · Senza · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Supartz · Symproic · UBRELVY · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · Wegovy · XTAMPZA · XTAMPZAER · ZEPBOUND · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH · Zilretta · iFuse Implant · 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 →
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
Pain medicines within 10 mi
3
Per 100K population
1.7
County median income
$56,393
Nearest hospital
EL CENTRO REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
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. Stevens is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 3% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 12% of CA peers, with 18 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. Stevens experienced with steroid injection (triamcinolone)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Stevens performed 4,566 steroid injection (triamcinolone) 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. Stevens receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Stevens received a total of $17,080 from 46 companies across 462 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. Stevens's costs compare to other pain medicines in El Centro?
Dr. Stevens's average Medicare payment per service is $37. 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. Stevens) 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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