Dr. Michael Kao
What this data tells you about Dr. Kao
Dr. Michael Kao is a student in an organized health care education/training program specialist in Fullerton, CA, with 14 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Kao performed 1,477 Medicare services across 1,262 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Kao received a total of $3,798 from 17 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 82 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in student in an organized health care education/training program. 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. Kao 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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 (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. |
295 | $69 | $151 |
| 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. |
177 | $135 | $346 |
| Eardrum and muscle function test A diagnostic test used to evaluate the function of the eardrum and associated muscles. |
152 | $19 | $95 |
| Comprehensive hearing and speech recognition test A diagnostic evaluation that assesses hearing ability and the capacity to understand spoken words. The test measures how well a patient can detect sounds and recognize speech. |
152 | $31 | $175 |
| 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. |
152 | $99 | $226 |
| Ear wax removal A procedure to remove impacted ear wax from the ear canal. |
149 | $37 | $108 |
| 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. |
87 | $91 | $245 |
| Flexible laryngoscopy A diagnostic exam of the voice box using a flexible endoscope to visualize the larynx. |
81 | $108 | $350 |
| Nasal endoscopy A diagnostic procedure that uses a thin, lighted tube to examine the inside of the nasal passages. |
61 | $166 | $428 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 5-10 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 5 and 10 minutes to discuss medical matters. |
59 | $48 | $95 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
47 | $72 | $115 |
| Vocal cord movement assessment with endoscope This procedure uses an endoscope to examine the movement of the vocal cords. It allows for the visual assessment of how the vocal cord flaps function. |
26 | $177 | $490 |
| 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. |
20 | $154 | $320 |
| Impacted earwax removal by physician Removal of impacted earwax from one or both ears by a physician on the same day as audiologic testing. |
19 | $46 | $121 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
All-time payments by company (2019-2024) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (95%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 8% for student in an organized health care education/training program in CA.
Geographic Context
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. Kao is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 13% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 8% of CA peers.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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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