Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Karl Sun, MD
Cardiovascular Disease · La Mesa, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
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. Sun 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Sun
Dr. Karl Sun is a cardiovascular disease specialist in La Mesa, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Sun performed 3,648 Medicare services across 1,809 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Sun received a total of $4,454 from 37 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 232 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. 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. Sun 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.
✓ 20 years in practice
▲ Top 29% volume in CA
$4,454 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗3,648
Medicare services
Top 29% in CA for cardiovascular disease
1,809
Unique beneficiaries
$61
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~182 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month Management based on results from remote vital sign monitoring for the first 20 minutes per calendar month. |
525 | $41 | $106 |
| 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. |
412 | $75 | $108 |
| Remote patient monitoring device, 30 days Initial setup of devices for remote monitoring of body functions with daily data transmission or alerts. This service covers the first 30 days of the monitoring period. |
376 | $45 | $132 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
323 | $100 | $153 |
| 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. |
315 | $91 | $169 |
| Remote vital sign monitoring management, each additional 20 minutes This code covers the time spent by a provider managing patient data from remote vital sign monitoring devices. It applies to each additional 20-minute increment beyond the initial monthly service period. |
207 | $34 | $86 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
166 | $12 | $56 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test An injection of regadenoson, a medication used to stress the heart during diagnostic testing. |
148 | $46 | $107 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
118 | $8 | $8 |
| Technetium Tc-99m tetrofosmin diagnostic injection A diagnostic injection of Technetium Tc-99m tetrofosmin used for imaging studies. |
98 | $76 | $150 |
| Complete blood count (CBC) with differential An automated laboratory test that measures the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the blood, including a breakdown of the different types of white blood cells. |
88 | $8 | $22 |
| Basic metabolic blood panel A blood test that measures a group of basic chemicals, including total calcium levels. |
87 | $8 | $24 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
75 | $168 | $547 |
| 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. |
69 | $66 | $140 |
| Liver function blood test panel | 64 | $8 | $23 |
| 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. |
63 | $139 | $304 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review. |
55 | $54 | $225 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and during stress using a special camera. |
49 | $408 | $1,123 |
| Pacemaker system evaluation Assessment of a pacemaker device, including single, dual, multiple lead, or leadless systems. |
49 | $45 | $89 |
| Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides) A blood test that measures cholesterol and triglyceride levels. |
42 | $13 | $38 |
| Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) A blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. |
40 | $10 | $28 |
| EKG interpretation and report A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report. |
38 | $7 | $35 |
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test A blood test that measures the level of thyroid stimulating hormone to evaluate thyroid function. |
33 | $16 | $47 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while an electrocardiogram is monitored under physician supervision. |
32 | $17 | $70 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram, with physician review of the results. |
32 | $11 | $93 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
25 | $178 | $507 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
25 | $44 | $108 |
| 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. |
23 | $137 | $278 |
| Remote physiologic monitoring setup and education Initial setup of remote monitoring equipment and patient education on its use. |
21 | $18 | $38 |
| Free thyroxine (T4) test A blood test that measures the level of free thyroxine, a thyroid hormone, in the bloodstream. |
19 | $9 | $26 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
19 | $108 | $295 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 5-10 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 5 and 10 minutes to discuss medical matters. |
12 | $21 | $79 |
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.
3.4% high complexity
12.0% medium
84.6% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$4,454
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $636/year across 7 years
Top 44% in CA for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
37
Companies
232
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.
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$4,260 (95.6%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$194 (4.4%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$451
2023
$854
2022
$953
2021
$614
2020
$410
2019
$674
2018
$498
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$175
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$65
Abbott Laboratories
$46
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$33
Philips North America LLC
$26
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$21
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$20
Amgen Inc.
$19
BIOTRONIK INC.
$16
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$14
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 63.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$629
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$592
Abbott Laboratories
$347
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$294
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$226
Amgen Inc.
$218
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$197
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$196
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$187
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$158
PFIZER INC.
$151
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$137
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$134
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$132
Braemar Manufacturing, LLC
$107
BIOTRONIK INC.
$97
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$84
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$69
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$66
Medtronic, Inc.
$50
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$37
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$33
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$32
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$28
Philips North America LLC
$26
Bardy Diagnostics, Inc.
$25
Baxter Healthcare
$23
Boston Scientific Corporation
$22
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
$21
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$21
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$20
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$19
Allergan Inc.
$19
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$16
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$15
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$15
CMP Pharma, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 35.2% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(7999) SRC Undivided · (CK7) Extended Holter · AMVUTTRA · ASSURITY · AVEIR · Acticor · Arcalyst · Assure WCD · BELSOMRA · BIOMONITOR · BRILINTA · BYSTOLIC · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CHANTIX · CONFIRM RX · Cardiac Monitoring Suite · Carnation Ambulatory Monitor · CaroSpir · Confirm Rx · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · Edarbi · Edarbyclor · FARXIGA · Hillrom - Cardiac Ambulatory Monitor · INJECTAFER · JARDIANCE · LEQVIO · LEXISCAN · Lexiscan · LifeVest · MICRA · MITRACLIP · MULTAQ · Mitra Clip system · Optimizer · Orchestra Plus Programmer · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · PRALUENT ALIROCUMAB INJECTION · Quadra Assura CRT Defibrillator · Repatha · VERQUVO · VYNDAQEL · Vascepa · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN Access System · XARELTO · ZIO Patch · ZIO XT Patch
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 →
Most payments (96%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
Cardiologists within 10 mi
239
Per 100K population
7.3
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. Sun is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 29% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement, with 20 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. Sun experienced with remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Sun performed 525 remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month 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. Sun receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Sun received a total of $4,454 from 37 companies across 232 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. Sun's costs compare to other cardiologists in La Mesa?
Dr. Sun's average Medicare payment per service is $61. 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. Sun) 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 →
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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.
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