Dr. Louis Rivera, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Rivera
Dr. Louis Rivera is a surgery specialist in La Jolla, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Rivera performed 651 Medicare services across 565 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Rivera received a total of $9,557 from 19 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 44 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in surgery. 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. Rivera 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. |
209 | $72 | $248 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 64 | $186 | $598 |
| Intraoperative lymph node imaging Imaging performed during surgery to visualize lymph nodes. |
55 | $110 | $515 |
| Deep underarm lymph node biopsy or removal A procedure to remove or sample deep lymph nodes located in the underarm area for examination. |
47 | $265 | $1,718 |
| Routine 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) A test that records the electrical activity of the heart using at least 12 leads to produce a tracing. |
35 | $6 | $25 |
| Skin graft repair of trunk, 10.1-30 sq cm A surgical procedure to repair a wound on the trunk by transferring skin from another area. The graft covers a surface area between 10.1 and 30.0 square centimeters. |
32 | $506 | $3,134 |
| 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. |
32 | $145 | $491 |
| Surgical removal of large skin cancer growth Surgical excision of a malignant skin lesion located on the body, arms, or legs that measures more than 4.0 centimeters in diameter. |
31 | $135 | $1,736 |
| 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. |
30 | $102 | $350 |
| Breast growth removal guided by X-ray marker This procedure involves the surgical removal of a breast growth that has been located using an X-ray marker. It is performed on the first identified growth. |
27 | $241 | $2,281 |
| 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. |
21 | $40 | $156 |
| 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. |
15 | $133 | $453 |
| Intermediate repair of wound of scalp, underarms, trunk, arms, or legs, 12.6-20.0 cm | 14 | $101 | $1,543 |
| 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. |
14 | $82 | $305 |
| Intermediate wound repair, 7.6-12.5 cm This procedure involves stitching a wound on the scalp, underarms, trunk, arms, or legs that measures between 7.6 and 12.5 centimeters. It includes cleaning the wound and closing it with sutures to promote healing. |
13 | $87 | $1,335 |
| Partial removal of breast | 12 | $370 | $2,459 |
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 (2018-2024) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
The majority of payments (86%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in surgery and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware.
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. Rivera is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 14% in CA), with speaking/promotional industry engagement, 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
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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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