Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Sang Kim, MD

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician · Los Angeles, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
444 S SAN VICENTE BLVD, Los Angeles, CA 90048
3102487322
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1053516609 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. Kim 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. Kim

Dr. Sang Kim is an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in Los Angeles, CA, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Kim performed 842 Medicare services across 579 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Kim received a total of $33,671 from 14 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 158 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopaedic surgery of the spine 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. Kim 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.

✓ 18 years in practice ▲ Top 41% volume in CA $33,671 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
842
Medicare services
Top 41% in CA for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
579
Unique beneficiaries
$214
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~47 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
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.
252 $52 $218
Spinal fusion of additional segment
A surgical procedure to join an additional section of the spine to the existing fusion. This is performed as a separate or subsequent step to stabilize more of the spinal column.
184 $295 $1,277
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.
112 $63 $305
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.
47 $79 $323
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.
41 $108 $463
Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes
A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes.
34 $57 $214
Spine fusion with cage or mesh device insertion
A surgical procedure to fuse spine bones by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space.
32 $215 $910
Fusion of spine in lower back 20 $1,198 $5,452
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, 1 segment
A surgical procedure involving the partial removal of a bone segment in the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. This is performed on a single spinal segment.
20 $730 $3,645
Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments
Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back.
18 $635 $2,542
Computer-assisted spinal procedure
A surgical or diagnostic procedure involving the spine that utilizes computer technology to assist with planning, navigation, or execution.
17 $192 $772
Graft of donor bone to spine 15 $92 $370
Insertion of instrumentation to pelvic bones
A surgical procedure involving the placement of hardware or devices into the pelvic bones.
14 $264 $1,082
Anterior lumbar interbody fusion with partial disc removal
A surgical procedure to fuse the lower spine bones by accessing the area through the abdomen and partially removing a spinal disc.
13 $521 $6,596
Lower back spinal fusion with bone and disc removal
A surgical procedure to fuse vertebrae in the lower back. It involves removing part of the spine bone and a disc to stabilize the area.
12 $1,377 $6,408
Spinal stabilization device placement, 7-12 segments
Surgical placement of a device to stabilize the back involving 7 to 12 spine bone segments.
11 $628 $2,543
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.
31.0% high complexity
0.0% medium
69.0% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$33,671
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $4,810/year across 7 years
Top 39% in CA for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
14
Companies
158
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
$25,533 (75.8%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$6,440 (19.1%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$1,698 (5.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$4,682
2023
$4,264
2022
$14,478
2021
$585
2020
$5,558
2019
$1,402
2018
$2,704

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$4,191
Medtronic, Inc.
$230
Globus Medical, Inc.
$168
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$93
Top 3 companies account for 98.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$25,999
NuVasive, Inc.
$2,320
Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation Inc.
$1,698
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$1,508
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$452
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$398
Medtronic, Inc.
$334
Globus Medical, Inc.
$319
Engage Uni, LLC
$201
Medicrea USA, Corp.
$189
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$93
Carbofix Spine Inc
$72
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$63
Innovation Technologies Inc
$27
Top 3 companies account for 89.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACP · ALIF · BRAINLAB · Brigade · CATALYFT PL EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM · COALITION · CONDUIT · CoRoent · EXPEDIUM · Engage Partial Knee System · Evoke · ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Navigation System · FIBERGRAFT · FIBERGRAFT BG MORSELS · FIBERGRAFT BG Morsels · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Intracept · Irrisept · MAZOR X SYSTEM · MOUNTAINEER · Modulus · NVM5 · O-ARM-ST · O-ARM-Spine · Other - Miscellaneous · PASS-LP · PRESTIGE · Pulse · RELINE · SKYLINE · SYMPHONY · SYNAPSE · SYNFIX · SYNFIX Evolution · Simplify Cervical Artificial Disc · Spine & Trauma 3D Navigation · TLIF · VA-LCP PLATES & SCREWS · VIPER · ViviGen · Vivigen MIS Delivery System · X-CORE · XLIF
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 (76%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.

Looking for an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in Los Angeles?
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Geographic Context

Orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians within 10 mi
72
Per 100K population
0.7
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. Kim is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with consulting-driven industry engagement, with 18 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. Kim experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Kim performed 252 office visit, established patient (20-29 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. Kim receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Kim received a total of $33,671 from 14 companies across 158 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. Kim's costs compare to other orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in Los Angeles?
Dr. Kim's average Medicare payment per service is $214. 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. Kim) 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.

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 →