Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Timothy Cheng, M.D.

Orthopedic Surgery · Fountain Valley, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Research-focused
8700 WARNER AVE STE 140, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
7148507300
In practice since 2013 (12 years)
NPI: 1972940872 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. Cheng 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. Cheng

Dr. Timothy Cheng is an orthopedic surgery specialist in Fountain Valley, CA, with 12 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cheng performed 2,333 Medicare services across 657 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cheng received a total of $23,615 from 14 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 32 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopedic surgery. The majority of payments are classified as research and scientific activities (grants and research funding). Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Cheng 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.

✓ 12 years in practice ▲ Top 25% volume in CA $23,615 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,333
Medicare services
Top 25% in CA for orthopedic surgery
657
Unique beneficiaries
$33
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~194 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
Physical therapy exercise, per 15 min
A therapy session using exercises to improve strength, endurance, range of motion, and flexibility. Each 15-minute unit is billed separately.
730 $21 $100
Manual therapy (hands-on treatment), per 15 min 487 $18 $91
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.
265 $72 $300
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg 188 $6 $24
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
141 $63 $291
Functional activity therapy
A therapy procedure that utilizes functional activities as part of the treatment process.
106 $31 $127
Knee X-ray, 4 or more views
An imaging test using X-rays to create multiple pictures of the knee joint from different angles.
104 $38 $165
Neuromuscular re-education therapy, per 15 min
A therapy procedure designed to re-educate the functional connection between the brain, nerves, and muscles. It is billed in 15-minute increments.
98 $26 $115
New patient office visit (30-44 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range.
66 $78 $371
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.
58 $95 $423
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views
An X-ray imaging test of the shoulder joint using at least two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
46 $27 $122
Evaluation for physical therapy, typically 30 minutes 30 $78 $338
Knee X-ray, 1-2 views
An X-ray imaging test of the knee joint using one to two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
14 $28 $121
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 ↗
$23,615
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $3,374/year across 7 years
Top 20% in CA for orthopedic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
14
Companies
32
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.

Scientific / Research
Research funding and grants
$21,458 (90.9%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$1,200 (5.1%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$956 (4.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$16
2023
$138
2022
$59
2021
$2,674
2020
$14
2019
$20,648
2018
$66

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Saxum Surgical, Inc.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Arthrex, Inc.
$20,000
DJO, LLC
$1,458
Micromed Inc
$1,200
Stryker Corporation
$352
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$212
Saxum Surgical, Inc.
$100
NuVasive, Inc.
$79
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$66
Baxter Healthcare
$54
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$27
SI-BONE, Inc.
$21
Medtronic, Inc.
$18
Ethicon US, LLC
$14
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 96.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AQUAMANTYS · FLOSEAL · HOFFMANN · LCP PLATES & SCREWS · MAKO · MONOCRYL · NAVLOCK · REGENETEN Shoulder · REUNION · SPOTLIGHT · SYNAPSE · T2 · TOUJEO · TRIATHLON · ViviGen · iFuse Implant
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 →

The majority of payments (91%) are classified as scientific/research, suggesting involvement in clinical studies, grants, or innovation-related work.

Looking for an orthopedic surgery specialist in Fountain Valley?
Compare orthopedic surgeons in the Fountain Valley area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse orthopedic surgeons nearby

Geographic Context

Orthopedic surgeons within 10 mi
335
Per 100K population
10.6
County median income
$113,702
Nearest hospital
UCI HEALTH - FOUNTAIN VALLEY
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. Cheng is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 25% in CA), with research-focused industry engagement in the top 20% of CA peers.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Cheng experienced with physical therapy exercise, per 15 min?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Cheng performed 730 physical therapy exercise, per 15 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. Cheng receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Cheng received a total of $23,615 from 14 companies across 32 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. Cheng's costs compare to other orthopedic surgeons in Fountain Valley?
Dr. Cheng's average Medicare payment per service is $33. 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. Cheng) 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 →