Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Cong Zhi Zhao, M.D.

Neurology · Fresno, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
2335 E KASHIAN LN, Fresno, CA 93701
5592649100
In practice since 2008 (18 years)
NPI: 1629248661 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. Zhao 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. Zhao? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Zhao

Dr. Cong Zhi Zhao is a neurology specialist in Fresno, CA, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Zhao performed 633 Medicare services across 413 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Zhao received a total of $115,331 from 49 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 503 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurology. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Zhao 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 42% volume in CA $115,331 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
633
Medicare services
Top 42% in CA for neurology
413
Unique beneficiaries
$62
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~35 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.
235 $91 $310
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.
83 $64 $209
Needle measurement of electrical activity in muscle with injection of chemical for paralysis of nerve muscle 61 $14 $41
Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator
Electronic evaluation of an implanted brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerve stimulator device.
58 $12 $111
Chemical nerve block for neck muscles
Injection of a chemical agent to paralyze specific muscles on the side of the neck, excluding the voice box.
50 $101 $357
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.
46 $42 $142
Brain stimulator programming, first 15 minutes
Electronic analysis of an implanted brain, spinal cord, or peripheral neurostimulator generator. This service includes programming the brain stimulator by a qualified health professional for the first 15 minutes.
37 $30 $101
Brain stimulator programming, additional 15 minutes
Electronic analysis and programming of an implanted brain neurostimulator generator by a qualified health professional. This code applies to each additional 15-minute increment beyond the initial service.
27 $27 $95
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
23 $22 $77
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 13 $126 $395
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 ↗
$115,331
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $16,476/year across 7 years
Top 6% in CA for neurology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
49
Companies
503
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$97,390 (84.4%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$13,116 (11.4%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$4,825 (4.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$12,124
2023
$15,723
2022
$33,263
2021
$7,252
2020
$7,193
2019
$22,952
2018
$16,825

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$11,750
Eisai Inc.
$103
Abbott Laboratories
$75
ABBVIE INC.
$49
Celgene Corporation
$39
EMD Serono, Inc.
$31
UCB, Inc.
$24
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc
$21
Genentech USA, Inc.
$19
Lilly USA, LLC
$13
Top 3 companies account for 98.4% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$84,928
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc
$11,446
Kyowa Kirin, Inc.
$6,571
Abbott Laboratories
$2,584
Boston Scientific Corporation
$1,906
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,647
EMD Serono, Inc.
$617
AbbVie Inc.
$517
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$403
Biogen, Inc.
$372
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc
$296
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$292
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$282
GENZYME CORPORATION
$279
ABBVIE INC.
$250
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$222
Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC
$209
Amgen Inc.
$207
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
$194
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$177
INSIGHTEC,INC
$174
Celgene Corporation
$170
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$158
Allergan Inc.
$153
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$122
Allergan, Inc.
$119
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$104
Eisai Inc.
$103
SK Life Science, Inc.
$90
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$85
CSL Behring
$71
Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$71
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc
$69
Lilly USA, LLC
$53
Genentech USA, Inc.
$52
UPSHER-SMITH LABORATORIES LLC
$49
Neurelis, Inc.
$38
Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$35
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$28
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.
$25
UCB, Inc.
$24
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$23
Banner Life Sciences, LLC
$21
Mallinckrodt LLC
$21
TG THERAPEUTICS, INC.
$19
GE HealthCare
$16
Saol Therapeutics Inc.
$13
Impax Laboratories, Inc.
$13
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 89.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · ACTIVA · AIMOVIG · AJOVY · AMVUTTRA · APTIOM · AUBAGIO · AUSTEDO · Aimovig · Austedo XR · BAFIERTAM · BOTOX · BOTOX THERAPEUTIC · BRIUMVI · Briviact · COPAXONE · Cenobamate · DYSPORT · Deep Brain Stimulation · Dysport · EMGALITY · Exablate · GENERAL DBS · GENERAL DBS · GENERAL DBS · GILENYA · GOCOVRI · General - DBS · Hizentra · Horizant · INBRIJA · INFINITY · INGREZZA · Infinity DBS Pulse Generators · KYNMOBI · LATUDA · LEMTRADA · Leqembi · Lioresal (baclofen) · MAVENCLAD · MAYZENT · MS DISEASE STATE · Mavenclad · NOURIANZ · NUPLAZID · NURTEC ODT · Neuromodulation Dspsbls and Accs · Nourianz · OCREVUS · Ocrevus Zunovo · Ongentys · PERCEPT PC BRAINSENSE · PROCLAIM · Proclaim DRG IPG · QULIPTA · RYTARY · Radicava · SENSIGHT · SOLIRIS · SenSight · TECFIDERA · TOSYMRA · TROKENDI XR · TYSABRI · UBRELVY · ULTOMIRIS · VALTOCO · VERCISE · VNS Therapy · VYALEV · Vercise · XCOPRI · Xeomin · ZEMBRACE SYMTOUCH · ZEPOSIA
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 (84%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in neurology and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 6% for neurology in CA.

Looking for a neurology specialist in Fresno?
Compare neurologists in the Fresno area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Neurologists within 10 mi
33
Per 100K population
3.3
County median income
$71,434
Nearest hospital
COMMUNITY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
1.2 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. Zhao is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 6% 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. Zhao experienced with office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Zhao performed 235 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. Zhao receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Zhao received a total of $115,331 from 49 companies across 503 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. Zhao's costs compare to other neurologists in Fresno?
Dr. Zhao's average Medicare payment per service is $62. 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. Zhao) 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 →