Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Nicholas Nissen, M.D.

Transplant Surgery Physician · Los Angeles, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Mixed engagement
127 S SAN VICENTE BLVD FL 7, Los Angeles, CA 90048
3104236746
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1174507099 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. Nissen 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. Nissen

Dr. Nicholas Nissen is a transplant surgery physician in Los Angeles, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Nissen performed 1,761 Medicare services across 1,018 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Nissen received a total of $21,119 from 15 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 73 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in transplant surgery physician. 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. Nissen 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 2% volume in CA $21,119 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,761
Medicare services
Top 2% in CA for transplant surgery physician
1,018
Unique beneficiaries
$133
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~88 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
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.
482 $102 $350
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.
418 $82 $322
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.
290 $67 $247
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.
119 $67 $310
Telephone medical discussion, 21-30 minutes
A telephone conversation with a physician lasting between 21 and 30 minutes. This code covers the time spent discussing medical matters over the phone.
110 $82 $318
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.
97 $56 $220
Other procedure on pancreas
A surgical or medical intervention performed on the pancreas that does not fall under other specific defined categories.
37 $1,764 $8,422
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.
36 $111 $426
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.
32 $149 $621
Hospital discharge day management, 30 minutes or less
This service covers the final day of hospital care when the patient is being discharged. It includes coordination of care and instructions for the patient within a time frame of 30 minutes or less.
31 $68 $236
New patient office visit, 15-29 minutes
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting 15 to 29 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter meets this duration threshold.
29 $40 $208
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)
An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter.
28 $120 $461
Liver procedure using endoscope
A procedure performed on the liver using an endoscope, which is a flexible tube with a camera inserted into the body.
20 $789 $5,005
Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes
A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes.
20 $48 $216
Liver growth destruction via endoscope
This procedure involves destroying abnormal growths in the liver using an endoscope. It is performed to remove or treat the identified growths within the liver tissue.
12 $963 $3,885
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 ↗
$21,119
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $3,017/year across 7 years
Top 17% in CA for transplant surgery physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
15
Companies
73
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
$8,318 (39.4%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$7,421 (35.1%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$5,380 (25.5%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$2,835
2023
$785
2022
$939
2021
$5,411
2020
$9,005
2019
$19
2018
$2,125

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$2,222
XVIVO Perfusion Inc.
$273
HISTOSONICS,INC.
$130
ABBVIE INC.
$107
Galvanize Therapeutics, Inc
$104
Top 3 companies account for 92.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$9,749
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$6,096
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$2,222
Ethicon US, LLC
$891
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$645
TransMedics, Inc.
$439
XVIVO Perfusion Inc.
$382
Galvanize Therapeutics, Inc
$240
ABBVIE INC.
$166
HISTOSONICS,INC.
$130
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$63
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$44
Perspectum Diagnostics Ltd
$20
Covidien LP
$19
AbbVie Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 85.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ALIYA SYSTEM · Barrx · CERTUS 140 MICROWAVE ABLATION SYSTEM · CREON · Da Vinci Surgical System · Echelon Flex · Echelon; Endopath · HARMONIC Product Family · LINZESS · LIVTENCITY · LiverMultiScan · NEUWAVE Flex Microwave Ablation System · NanoKnife · Neuwave · Organ Care System · XVIVO Perfusion System (XPS)
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 (39%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.

Looking for a transplant surgery physician in Los Angeles?
Compare transplant surgery physicians in the Los Angeles area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse transplant surgery physicians nearby

Geographic Context

Transplant surgery physicians within 10 mi
41
Per 100K population
0.4
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
CEDARS-SINAI 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. Nissen is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 2% in CA), with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 17% of CA peers, 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. Nissen experienced with hospital follow-up visit, high complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Nissen performed 482 hospital follow-up visit, high complexity 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. Nissen receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Nissen received a total of $21,119 from 15 companies across 73 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. Nissen's costs compare to other transplant surgery physicians in Los Angeles?
Dr. Nissen's average Medicare payment per service is $133. 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. Nissen) 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.

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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 →