Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Robert Tonks, M.D.

Optician · La Jolla, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Mixed engagement
9834 GENESEE AVE STE 225, La Jolla, CA 92037
8585769901
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1659395671 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. Tonks 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. Tonks? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Tonks

Dr. Robert Tonks is an optician specialist in La Jolla, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Tonks performed 846 Medicare services across 684 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Tonks received a total of $1,013,361 from 14 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 146 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optician. The majority of payments are classified as financial or ownership interests (royalties, licensing fees, or investment interests). Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Tonks 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 ▲ 846 Medicare services $1,013,361 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
846
Medicare services
Bottom 42% in CA for optician
684
Unique beneficiaries
$206
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~45 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 (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.
266 $103 $375
Initial hospital admission, high complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
173 $141 $376
Drug delivery implant insertion
A procedure to place an implant that releases medication into the body's tissue.
122 $28 $411
Imaging guidance for procedure, 60 minutes or less
Use of imaging technology to guide a medical procedure. This service lasts 60 minutes or less.
86 $13 $395
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.
40 $132 $400
Surgical repair of broken thigh bone with stabilization or replacement
This procedure involves surgically treating the upper part of a fractured femur by inserting a device to stabilize the bone or replacing it with a prosthetic implant.
27 $939 $5,853
Surgical repair of broken thigh bone with plate and screws
A surgical procedure to fix a broken thigh bone (femur) by using metal plates and screws to hold the bone fragments in place while they heal.
21 $934 $5,799
Surgical repair of broken thigh bone with implant
A surgical procedure to fix a fractured femur by using a bone implant to stabilize the broken bone.
20 $919 $4,500
Removal of deep implant from bone
A surgical procedure to extract a deep implant that is embedded within the bone.
15 $273 $1,346
Treatment of broken thigh bone with implant
This procedure involves setting a fractured thigh bone and securing it with an internal implant to support healing.
15 $956 $4,560
Repair of acute torn shoulder rotator cuff 14 $421 $3,184
Treatment of broken top of upper arm bone
This procedure involves the medical management of a fracture at the proximal end of the humerus. It focuses on stabilizing the bone to facilitate healing.
13 $717 $2,832
Ankle ligament tear treatment
Medical care provided to repair or manage a torn ligament in the ankle joint.
12 $330 $3,996
Closed treatment of broken or dislocated pelvis or sacrum
Non-surgical realignment and stabilization of a fractured or dislocated pelvis or sacrum.
11 $115 $950
Treatment of broken thigh bone in knee area
This procedure involves the medical management of a fracture located in the distal femur, near the knee joint. It focuses on stabilizing and healing the broken bone in this specific anatomical region.
11 $928 $8,223
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.
3.2% high complexity
10.2% medium
86.6% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$1,013,361
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $144,766/year across 7 years
Top 1% in CA for optician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
14
Companies
146
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.

Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$993,263 (98.0%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$16,034 (1.6%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$2,729 (0.3%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$1,335 (0.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$246,504
2023
$215,405
2022
$188,442
2021
$145,156
2020
$113,755
2019
$61,019
2018
$43,080

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Arthrex, Inc.
$244,929
Flower Orthopedics Coporation
$1,126
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$175
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$119
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS INC.
$104
Stryker Corporation
$51
Top 3 companies account for 99.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Arthrex, Inc.
$991,324
Flower Orthopedics Coporation
$15,213
Conventus Orthopaedics, Inc.
$3,000
ImpactOrtho, Inc.
$1,200
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$695
KLS-Martin L.P.
$587
Davol Inc.
$394
Stryker Corporation
$322
TriMed, Inc.
$135
Innovation Technologies Inc
$129
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$119
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS INC.
$104
Kerecis Limited
$90
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$48
Top 3 companies account for 99.6% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
3.5mm x 130mm · AEQUALIS PERFORM · ARISTA AH FLEXITIP · ARTHREX · AUGMENT INJECTABLE · AXSOS · Affixus · Arthrex · BIOLOX · DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HINDFOOT & ANKLE ACHILLES · DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS HINDFOOT & ANKLE ANKLE FRACTURE · DISTAL EXTREMITIES IMPLANTS TRAUMA ANKLE FRACTURE · DISTAL EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS DEVICE SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTS HINDFOOT & ANKLE · DISTAL EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS HAND & WRIST FRACTURE MANAGEMENT · DISTAL EXTREMITIES INSTRUMENTS TRAUMA HINDFOOT & ANKLE TRAUMA · FIBERGRAFT BG MORSELS · Fibula Nail · Flex-Thread · Flex-Thread Ulna · IRRISEPT · Kerecis Omega3 SurgiClose · MATRIXRIB · PELVIS II · Persona · Phoenix · SHOULDER SUTURE FIBERWIRE CERCLAGE · T2 · Titanium · cage
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 →

Payments are distributed across multiple categories with no single dominant type. Total industry engagement is in the top 1% for optician in CA.

Looking for an optician specialist in La Jolla?
Compare opticians in the La Jolla area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse opticians nearby

Geographic Context

Opticians within 10 mi
480
Per 100K population
14.6
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
SCRIPPS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL LA JOLLA
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. Tonks is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 1% 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. Tonks experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Tonks performed 266 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. Tonks receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Tonks received a total of $1,013,361 from 14 companies across 146 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. Tonks's costs compare to other opticians in La Jolla?
Dr. Tonks's average Medicare payment per service is $206. 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. Tonks) 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 →