Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Kai Zu, M.D.
Hematology & Oncology · La Mesa, CA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice
— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Consulting-driven
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. Zu 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. Zu?
Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →
What this data tells you about Dr. Zu
Dr. Kai Zu is a hematology & oncology specialist in La Mesa, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Zu performed 193,945 Medicare services across 1,287 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Zu received a total of $42,732 from 57 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 228 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in hematology & oncology. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Zu 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
▲ Top 2% volume in CA
$42,732 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗193,945
Medicare services
Top 2% in CA for hematology & oncology
1,287
Unique beneficiaries
$9
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~10,208 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darbepoetin injection (Aranesp) for anemia An injection of darbepoetin alfa used for non-end-stage renal disease purposes. |
73,675 | $2 | $11 |
| Iron infusion (Injectafer) An intravenous injection of ferric carboxymaltose, an iron replacement medication. |
59,250 | $1 | $2 |
| Nivolumab injection (Opdivo) | 50,040 | $24 | $55 |
| Denosumab injection (Prolia/Xgeva) | 4,020 | $18 | $30 |
| Dexamethasone injection (steroid) An injection of dexamethasone sodium phosphate, a corticosteroid medication, administered in a dose of 1 milligram. |
2,015 | $0 | $3 |
| Anti-nausea injection (Aloxi/palonosetron) | 1,540 | $1 | $18 |
| 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. |
803 | $69 | $134 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle A procedure involving the administration of a medication or substance via injection into the subcutaneous tissue or muscle. |
485 | $12 | $45 |
| Intravenous injection of additional new drug or substance Administration of an additional new medication or substance directly into a vein. |
405 | $13 | $40 |
| Intravenous chemotherapy infusion, 1 hour or less Administration of chemotherapy medication directly into a vein. The procedure takes one hour or less to complete. |
375 | $118 | $295 |
| 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. |
263 | $101 | $200 |
| Subcutaneous or intramuscular chemotherapy injection This procedure involves administering anti-cancer hormonal medication through an injection into the tissue under the skin or into a muscle. |
138 | $30 | $73 |
| Intravenous infusion, 1 hour or less Administration of medication or fluid directly into a vein for therapeutic, preventive, or diagnostic purposes. The procedure lasts one hour or less. |
123 | $58 | $140 |
| Intravenous infusion of new drug or substance, 1 hour or less This procedure involves administering a new medication or substance directly into a vein through an existing access site. The infusion is completed within one hour or less. |
119 | $58 | $140 |
| Leuprolide acetate (for depot suspension), 7.5 mg | 99 | $128 | $474 |
| 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. |
98 | $129 | $356 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service. |
89 | $64 | $160 |
| Additional hour of intravenous chemotherapy This code represents the administration of chemotherapy medication into a vein for each additional hour beyond the initial period. |
83 | $25 | $64 |
| Diphenhydramine injection, up to 50 mg An injection of diphenhydramine hydrochloride, an antihistamine medication, administered in a dose of up to 50 milligrams. |
66 | $1 | $2 |
| Blood draw from central venous catheter A procedure to collect a blood sample directly from a central venous tube or catheter. |
59 | $25 | $60 |
| 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. |
58 | $139 | $360 |
| Normal saline infusion, 500 ml Administration of sterile normal saline solution through an intravenous line. This procedure involves the infusion of a 500 ml unit of the solution. |
55 | $1 | $3 |
| 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. |
38 | $42 | $80 |
| Additional sequential IV infusion, 1 hour or less This code represents an additional intravenous infusion administered sequentially to a primary infusion. It covers the administration time of one hour or less. |
35 | $25 | $70 |
| 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 | $95 | $240 |
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.
30.9% high complexity
68.3% medium
0.8% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$42,732
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $6,105/year across 7 years
Top 13% in CA for hematology & oncology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
57
Companies
228
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.
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$36,474 (85.4%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$4,029 (9.4%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$2,230 (5.2%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$3,291
2023
$1,444
2022
$12,038
2021
$5,597
2020
$13,559
2019
$5,577
2018
$1,225
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$2,225
PFIZER INC.
$184
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$129
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$89
Celgene Corporation
$73
Eisai Inc.
$68
ABBVIE INC.
$65
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$61
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$55
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$54
Novo Nordisk Inc
$47
PharmaEssentia USA Corporation
$33
BeiGene USA, Inc.
$29
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$27
SpringWorks Therapeutics, Inc.
$25
Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$24
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$24
ARRAY BIOPHARMA INC
$23
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$20
Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation
$20
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 77.1% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$11,146
Acceleron Pharma, Inc.
$9,610
Incyte Corporation
$4,111
Celgene Corporation
$3,493
Dova Pharmaceuticals
$2,982
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$1,674
BeiGene USA, Inc.
$1,441
Exelixis Inc.
$1,225
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$1,178
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$758
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$640
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$593
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$395
Athenex Pharmaceutical Division, LLC
$350
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$349
PFIZER INC.
$330
Pharmacyclics LLC, An AbbVie Company
$243
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$220
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$209
Amgen Inc.
$173
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$115
ARRAY BIOPHARMA INC
$102
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$97
GENZYME CORPORATION
$91
Seagen Inc.
$90
Eisai Inc.
$88
AbbVie Inc.
$83
ABBVIE INC.
$65
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$58
EISAI INC.
$54
Verastem, Inc.
$54
Novo Nordisk Inc
$47
Puma Biotechnology, Inc.
$44
Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation
$43
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$40
MorphoSys, US Inc.
$40
Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company
$37
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$34
PharmaEssentia USA Corporation
$33
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$32
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$31
Genentech USA, Inc.
$31
Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$30
Foundation Medicine, Inc.
$30
SpringWorks Therapeutics, Inc.
$25
Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$24
Stemline Therapeutics Inc.
$23
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$21
Mirati Therapeutics, Inc.
$21
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$21
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$20
MENARINI SILICON BIOSYSTEMS, INC.
$18
Hologic, LLC
$16
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$15
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
$14
Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc.
$13
Epizyme, Inc.,
$12
Top 3 companies account for 58.2% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADCETRIS · Abraxane · Aliqopa · Avastin · BENDEKA · BESREMI · BLENREP · BOSULIF · BRAFTOVI · BRUKINSA · CALQUENCE · Cabometyx · Cellsearch · Copiktra · Doptelet · ELREXFIO · ENHERTU · EPKINLY · ERLEADA · EXKIVITY · Enhertu · Erivedge · FOUNDATIONONE · FOUNDATIONONE CDX · FRUZAQLA · Fabhalta · GILOTRIF · GIVLAARI · IBRANCE · IMBRUVICA · IMFINZI · INJECTAFER · INLYTA · JAKAFI · JEMPERLI · JEVTANA · KANJINTI · KEYTRUDA · KISQALI · KRAZATI · LIBTAYO · LUMAKRAS · LUTATHERA · Lenvima · MEKINIST · MONJUVI · MVASI · MYOSURE TISSUE REMOVAL DEVICE · Nplate · Nubeqa · OGSIVEO · OPDIVO · OPDUALAG · ORGOVYX · OXBRYTA · Orserdu · PADCEV · PROMACTA · Padcev · Pomalyst · QINLOCK · REBLOZYL · RYBREVANT · Reblozyl · Revlimid · SCEMBLIX · SHINGRIX · SUSTOL · TAGRISSO · TASIGNA · TAZVERIK · TUKYSA · Tavalisse · Trodelvy · ULTOMIRIS · Ultomiris · VENCLEXTA · VOTRIENT · Vitrakvi · Vyloy · XALKORI · XARELTO · XOSPATA · XTANDI · Xospata · YERVOY · ZEJULA · clonoSEQ
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 (85%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.
Geographic Context
Hematology & oncology specialists within 10 mi
130
Per 100K population
4.0
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
GROSSMONT HOSPITAL
0.0 mi
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. Zu is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 2% in CA), with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 13% 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. Zu experienced with darbepoetin injection (aranesp) for anemia?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Zu performed 73,675 darbepoetin injection (aranesp) for anemia 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. Zu receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Zu received a total of $42,732 from 57 companies across 228 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. Zu's costs compare to other hematology & oncology specialists in La Mesa?
Dr. Zu's average Medicare payment per service is $9. 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. Zu) 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 →
Explore related providers
Same specialty & city
Hematology & Oncology Specialists in La Mesa
Browse hematology & oncology specialists in La Mesa ranked by procedure volume and transparency data.
Highest volume
Top Hematology & Oncology Specialists in CA
Hematology & oncology specialists ranked by total Medicare services performed statewide.
Industry payments
Pharma Payments to Hematology & Oncology Specialists in CA
Which CA hematology & oncology specialists receive the most from drug and device companies.
By company
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP.
By company
Acceleron Pharma, Inc. Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Acceleron Pharma, Inc.
By company
Incyte Corporation Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Incyte Corporation.
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