Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Erick Montero, M.D.

Thoracic Surgery · Laguna Hills, CA
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Interventional — Practice combining cardiac and interventional services
Low-engagement
24411 HEALTH CENTER DR, Laguna Hills, CA 92653
9492684568
In practice since 2010 (15 years)
NPI: 1033439005 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. Montero 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. Montero? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Montero

Dr. Erick Montero is a thoracic surgery specialist in Laguna Hills, CA, with 15 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Montero performed 185 Medicare services across 185 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Montero received a total of $11,386 from 8 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 75 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. 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. Montero 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.

✓ 15 years in practice ▲ Top 43% volume in CA $11,386 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
185
Medicare services
Top 43% in CA for thoracic surgery
185
Unique beneficiaries
$319
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~12 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
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 54 $127 $321
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery
A minimally invasive procedure to replace a diseased aortic heart valve using a catheter inserted through the skin and femoral artery.
 47 $537 $2,909
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.
 30 $132 $386
Endoscopic vein harvest
A surgical procedure to remove a vein using an endoscope, which is a thin, lighted tube inserted through small incisions.
 20 $11 $35
Coronary artery bypass graft, 1 artery
Surgical procedure to bypass a blocked coronary artery using a graft from another artery. This restores blood flow to the heart muscle.
 20 $1,067 $3,985
Left atrial appendage exclusion
Surgical closure of the left atrial appendage of the heart, performed as part of another chest procedure.
 14 $93 $256
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.
36.2% high complexity
0.0% medium
63.8% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$11,386
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,627/year across 7 years
Top 28% in CA for thoracic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
8
Companies
75
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
$11,356 (99.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$30 (0.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$6,313
2023
$3,773
2022
$104
2021
$111
2020
$242
2019
$443
2018
$400

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ATRICURE, INC.
$6,057
Boston Scientific Corporation
$129
ABIOMED
$126
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
ATRICURE, INC.
$9,584
Abbott Laboratories
$779
ABIOMED
$280
Boston Scientific Corporation
$264
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$244
AtriCure, Inc.
$154
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$66
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 93.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AMPLATZER · AMPLATZER Occluders · ATRICLIP LAA EXCLUSION SYSTEM · ATRICURE CRYOICE CRYOABLATION SYSTEM (CRYO2) · AtriCure Synergy Ablation System · Biocor Stented Tissue Valve · CoreValve Evolut · Da Vinci Surgical System · EPI-SENSE GUIDED COAGULATION SYSTEM WITH VISITRAX · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · Epi-Sense Guided Coagulation System with VisiTrax · Epic Stented Tissue Valve · Impella · LOTUS EDGE · Mitra Clip system · Models · No Associated Product · PASCAL · SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · Trifecta GT Tissue Heart Valve · Trifecta Tissue Heart Valve · WATCHMAN FLX · myLUX Patient Kit with mobile device
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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a thoracic surgery specialist in Laguna Hills?
Compare thoracic surgerists in the Laguna Hills area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Thoracic surgerists within 10 mi
40
Per 100K population
1.3
County median income
$113,702
Nearest hospital
MEMORIALCARE SADDLEBACK MEDICAL CENTER
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. Montero is a cardiac & interventional specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 15 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. Montero experienced with new patient office visit, complex (60-74 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Montero performed 54 new patient office visit, complex (60-74 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. Montero receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Montero received a total of $11,386 from 8 companies across 75 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. Montero's costs compare to other thoracic surgerists in Laguna Hills?
Dr. Montero's average Medicare payment per service is $319. 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. Montero) 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.

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 →