Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Mark Stern, MD

Neurological Surgery · Escondido, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Mixed engagement
705 E OHIO AVE, Escondido, CA 92025
7604899490
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1649282765 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. Stern 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. Stern? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Stern

Dr. Mark Stern is a neurological surgery specialist in Escondido, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Stern performed 605 Medicare services across 241 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Stern received a total of $32,732 from 52 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 408 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. 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. Stern 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 20% volume in CA $32,732 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
605
Medicare services
Top 20% in CA for neurological surgery
241
Unique beneficiaries
$107
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~32 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.
318 $141 $450
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)
A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered.
101 $1 $11
Spinal drug pump reprogramming and refill
A physician electronically adjusts the settings of a spinal drug infusion pump and refills its medication reservoir.
64 $77 $700
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.
53 $103 $400
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 49 $176 $600
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views
An X-ray imaging test that captures 2 to 3 views of the lower back and sacral spine to visualize the bones and joints in this area.
20 $35 $50
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 ↗
$32,732
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $4,676/year across 7 years
Top 18% in CA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
52
Companies
408
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
$13,040 (39.8%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$10,400 (31.8%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$9,292 (28.4%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$3,461
2023
$10,023
2022
$2,536
2021
$7,193
2020
$1,916
2019
$1,891
2018
$5,712

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
KYOCERA MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
$1,600
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,347
SI-BONE, INC.
$341
TerSera Therapeutics LLC
$56
Nevro Corp.
$49
Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Inc.
$21
SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
$18
Kuros Biosciences USA, Inc
$14
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 95.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Kyocera Medical Technologies, Inc.
$8,800
Medtronic, Inc.
$5,060
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$4,488
Davol Inc.
$3,035
Nevro Corp.
$2,683
KYOCERA MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
$1,600
SI-BONE, Inc.
$1,303
Centinel Spine, LLC
$850
SI-BONE, INC.
$819
Globus Medical, Inc.
$686
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$511
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$299
NuVasive, Inc.
$227
Spineart USA Inc
$224
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$205
TerSera Therapeutics LLC
$164
Ethicon US, LLC
$153
Neuronetics, Inc.
$140
Stryker Corporation
$135
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$125
Biedermann Motech, Inc.
$97
Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$96
Misonix Inc
$95
Abbott Laboratories
$84
Boston Scientific Corporation
$72
Baxter Healthcare
$59
Saol Therapeutics Inc.
$54
Wound Management Technologies, Inc
$52
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
$50
PAINTEQ LLC
$41
AXOGEN
$40
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$39
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$37
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$35
Aesculap Implant Systems, LLC
$32
Next Science LLC
$31
SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
$29
RTI Surgical, Inc.
$25
ABBVIE INC.
$23
Electronic Waveform Lab, Inc.
$22
Wenzel Spine, Inc.
$22
Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Inc.
$21
SeaSpine Orthopedics Corporation
$21
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$20
KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America
$19
Flowonix Medical Incorporated
$19
SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
$18
Analogic Corporation
$16
PIRAMAL CRITICAL CARE
$16
Kuros Biosciences USA, Inc
$14
ConvaTec Inc.
$14
Radius Health, Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 56.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIVL · ADAPTIVESTIM · ALIF · ANCHOR L · AQUACEL · AQUAMANTYS · AQUAMANTYS(TM) · ARTISS · AVANCE NERVE GRAFT · AVITENE · Allograft · AxoGuard Nerve Protector · BASE · Biomet SpinalPak · BoneScalpel · Brigade · CANOPY · CAVUX Cervical Cage · CD HORIZON · CODMAN CERTAS · CREO · CellerateRx · ETHICON · EXPEDIUM · Excelsius Robotics System · FIBERGRAFT BG MORSELS · FLOSEAL · GABLOFEN · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · Gliadel · HEDRON · HOPKINS · IFUSE IMPLANT · ILIF · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Independence MIS · Lioresal (baclofen) · Lioresal Intrathecal (baclofen injection) · MAGNETOS · MIDAS REX · MIDLINE II · MOSS100 Pedicle Screw System · Magellan · Medical Devices · Mobi-C · NEUROSTAR TMS THERAPY · NeXus · Omnia · Osteocel · PAINTEQ · PRESTIGE · PRIALT · PROCLAIM · PRODISC C · PRODISC C VIVO · PRODISC L · Penta SCS Leads · Prialt · Proclaim IPG · Prometra II · Puros Biologics · QULIPTA · RESTORE · ROI-A · Regatta Lateral System · SPACE-D SYSTEM 5.5/6.0 VOYAGER INSTRUMENT SET · STALIF M · STRATA · STRATAFIX · SURGICEL Family of Absorbable Hemostats · SYNCHROMED · SYNCHROMEDII · SYNFIX · Senza · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · SurgX · TRITANIUM · Tymlos · VERTEX · VITOSS · VariLift · WAVEWRITER ALPHA · iFuse Implant · mild Device Kit · prodisc L
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 (40%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in Escondido?
Compare neurological surgerists in the Escondido area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
74
Per 100K population
2.3
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
PALOMAR HEALTH DOWNTOWN CAMPUS
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. Stern is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 20% in CA), with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 18% 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. Stern experienced with office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Stern performed 318 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. Stern receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Stern received a total of $32,732 from 52 companies across 408 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. Stern's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Escondido?
Dr. Stern's average Medicare payment per service is $107. 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. Stern) 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 →