Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Ludmila Bess, M.D.
Gynecology Physician · Los Angeles, 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. Bess 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. Bess?
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What this data tells you about Dr. Bess
Dr. Ludmila Bess is a gynecology physician in Los Angeles, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Bess performed 1,778 Medicare services across 1,571 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Bess received a total of $1,805 from 28 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 83 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in gynecology physician. 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. Bess 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 7% volume in CA
$1,805 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,778
Medicare services
Top 7% in CA for gynecology physician
1,571
Unique beneficiaries
$67
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~94 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transvaginal pelvic ultrasound An ultrasound exam using a probe inserted into the vagina to image the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and surrounding pelvic structures. |
246 | $109 | $430 |
| HPV high-risk type nucleic acid test A laboratory test that uses nucleic acid detection to identify high-risk types of human papillomavirus. |
174 | $34 | $120 |
| 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. |
174 | $78 | $245 |
| Pelvic and clinical breast exam for cancer screening A physical examination of the pelvis and breasts to screen for cervical or vaginal cancer. This procedure involves a clinical assessment performed by a healthcare provider. |
174 | $43 | $130 |
| Pap smear screening test A screening test to collect and prepare a cervical or vaginal sample for laboratory analysis. |
172 | $49 | $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. |
155 | $107 | $360 |
| Vaginal fluid DNA test for bacteria A laboratory test that analyzes DNA from bacteria found in a vaginal fluid specimen. |
71 | $258 | $450 |
| Vaginal irrigation and drug application for infection This procedure involves flushing the vagina with fluid and applying medication to treat an infection. |
61 | $49 | $115 |
| Complete ultrasound of abdomen A diagnostic imaging test that uses sound waves to create detailed pictures of the organs and structures within the abdomen. |
54 | $107 | $430 |
| Urinalysis, manual A manual laboratory examination of a urine sample to check for various substances and cells. |
46 | $3 | $20 |
| 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. |
36 | $141 | $545 |
| Vitamin D level test A blood test to measure the amount of Vitamin D-3 in your body. |
28 | $29 | $120 |
| 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. |
28 | $8 | $25 |
| Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) A blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. |
26 | $10 | $50 |
| Total testosterone level test A blood test that measures the total amount of testosterone in your body. This hormone is important for various bodily functions in both men and women. |
26 | $25 | $95 |
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test A blood test that measures the level of thyroid stimulating hormone to evaluate thyroid function. |
26 | $16 | $95 |
| Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides) A blood test that measures cholesterol and triglyceride levels. |
25 | $13 | $40 |
| DHEA-S hormone level test A blood test that measures the level of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. |
24 | $22 | $95 |
| Immunologic analysis for detection of tumor antigen, quantitative; ca 125 | 24 | $20 | $95 |
| Total estradiol level test A blood test that measures the total amount of estradiol, a form of estrogen, in the body. |
23 | $27 | $95 |
| Prolactin level test A blood test that measures the amount of prolactin, a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that stimulates milk production, in the body. |
23 | $19 | $95 |
| Liver function blood test panel | 22 | $8 | $45 |
| Vitamin B-12 level test A blood test that measures the amount of vitamin B-12 in your body. |
21 | $15 | $45 |
| Basic metabolic blood panel A blood test that measures a group of basic chemicals, including total calcium levels. |
20 | $8 | $25 |
| Chlamydia trachomatis nucleic acid amplification test A laboratory test that uses nucleic acid amplification to detect the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria in a sample. |
20 | $34 | $120 |
| Gonorrhea nucleic acid amplification test A laboratory test that uses amplified probe techniques to detect the genetic material of gonorrhea bacteria. This method identifies the presence of the infection by analyzing nucleic acids from the sample. |
20 | $34 | $120 |
| Free testosterone level test A blood test that measures the amount of free testosterone in your body. Free testosterone is the portion of the hormone not bound to proteins and available for use by tissues. |
19 | $25 | $95 |
| Folic acid level test A blood test that measures the amount of folic acid in the serum. |
15 | $14 | $50 |
| Progesterone level test A blood test that measures the amount of progesterone, a reproductive hormone, in your body. |
13 | $20 | $95 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
12 | $8 | $40 |
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.
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$1,805
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $258/year across 7 years
Top 33% in CA for gynecology physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
28
Companies
83
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
$1,727 (95.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$78 (4.3%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$108
2023
$42
2022
$258
2021
$303
2020
$226
2019
$397
2018
$471
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$70
CooperSurgical, Inc.
$24
Exeltis, USA Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
AbbVie, Inc.
$213
AbbVie Inc.
$207
Avion Pharmaceuticals
$162
PFIZER INC.
$112
Allergan Inc.
$105
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$93
Davol Inc.
$90
Vertical Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$83
AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$78
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$70
Exeltis, USA Inc.
$59
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$57
CooperSurgical, Inc.
$45
TherapeuticsMD, Inc.
$43
Covidien LP
$41
ABBVIE INC.
$40
Baxter Healthcare
$36
DySIS Medical, Inc.
$35
Lupin Inc.
$34
MAYNE PHARMA INC.
$32
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$29
Hologic, LLC
$25
Novum Pharma, LLC
$24
Vermillion, Inc.
$21
Becton, Dickinson and Company
$21
UROVANT SCIENCES INC
$21
GENZYME CORPORATION
$18
Allergan, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 32.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ANNOVERA · APTIMA · Alcortin A · BD Onclarity · BIJUVA · Balcoltra · CERDELGA · DYSIS Ultra · Divigel · GEMTESA · INTRAROSA · Kyleena · LO LOESTRIN FE · Lupron · MYFEMBREE · Mirena · NEXPLANON · ORIAHNN · OVA1 · Orilissa · PREMARIN · Paragard · Paragard T 380A · Prenate Mini · Progel · QULIPTA · SEPRAFILM · SLYND · SOLIRIS · SOLOSEC · TruClear · UBRELVY · Ultra 2.0 · Veozah · Vitafol Ultra
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
Gynecology physicians within 10 mi
105
Per 100K population
1.1
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
DOCS SURGICAL 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. Bess is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 7% in CA), with low-engagement 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
Is Dr. Bess experienced with transvaginal pelvic ultrasound?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Bess performed 246 transvaginal pelvic ultrasound 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. Bess receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Bess received a total of $1,805 from 28 companies across 83 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. Bess's costs compare to other gynecology physicians in Los Angeles?
Dr. Bess's average Medicare payment per service is $67. 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. Bess) 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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