Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Sunit Patel, M.D.
Optician · Merced, 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. Patel 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. Patel
Dr. Sunit Patel is an optician specialist in Merced, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Patel performed 6,691 Medicare services across 5,286 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Patel received a total of $12,767 from 48 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 524 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optician. 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. Patel 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 13% volume in CA
$12,767 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗6,691
Medicare services
Top 13% in CA for optician
5,286
Unique beneficiaries
$92
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~352 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 (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. |
2,457 | $93 | $275 |
| Pulmonary gas exchange test A test to examine how well the lungs exchange gases. |
589 | $45 | $136 |
| 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. |
542 | $92 | $275 |
| Lung volume test using sensors A test that measures the amount of air in the lungs using sensors. |
419 | $44 | $132 |
| 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. |
417 | $115 | $377 |
| Spirometry test before and after medication A test that measures the amount of air you can exhale and the speed of your breathing before and after taking a medication. |
382 | $32 | $86 |
| Exercise-induced lung stress test A test performed to evaluate how the lungs function during physical exertion. It helps identify breathing difficulties or lung conditions that occur specifically when exercising. |
276 | $25 | $71 |
| Expiratory airflow and volume test A test that measures the amount of air you can exhale and the speed at which you can breathe it out. It evaluates lung function by assessing expiratory airflow and volume. |
231 | $21 | $62 |
| Lung volume test using gas dilution or washout A test that measures the amount of air in your lungs by using a gas dilution or washout method. |
180 | $35 | $108 |
| Sleep study in sleep lab (age 6+) An overnight test conducted in a sleep laboratory to monitor sleep patterns and bodily functions in patients aged 6 years or older. |
179 | $508 | $1,410 |
| Overnight continuous oxygen level test This test measures oxygen levels in the blood continuously overnight using a device attached to the ear or finger. |
149 | $21 | $86 |
| 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. |
128 | $63 | $206 |
| 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. |
117 | $138 | $371 |
| Home sleep test with portable monitor An unattended sleep study performed at home using a portable monitor that records breathing, heart rate, and oxygen levels. |
116 | $67 | $700 |
| Sleep study with continuous airway pressure, age 6+ A sleep study conducted in a sleep lab that monitors breathing and other body functions while administering continuous airway pressure. This test is performed on patients aged 6 years or older. |
88 | $529 | $1,511 |
| 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. |
74 | $135 | $459 |
| 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. |
61 | $63 | $271 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 60 | $174 | $460 |
| Critical care, first 30-74 min Emergency medical care for a critically ill or injured patient lasting between 30 and 74 minutes. This service involves direct patient care and medical decision making to stabilize the patient. |
59 | $168 | $1,732 |
| Office visit for established patient An office visit for an existing patient that may not require the healthcare professional to be present. |
49 | $17 | $46 |
| 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. |
43 | $94 | $329 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
28 | $56 | $208 |
| Sleep study with heart rate and breathing monitoring A sleep study that monitors heart rate, breathing, airflow, and physical effort during sleep. |
22 | $76 | $195 |
| Positive pressure ventilator therapy A therapy procedure that uses a positive pressure ventilator to assist with breathing. |
14 | $52 | $133 |
| 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. |
11 | $61 | $275 |
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 ↗$12,767
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,824/year across 7 years
Top 11% in CA for optician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
48
Companies
524
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
$12,313 (96.5%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$453 (3.5%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$2,357
2023
$2,686
2022
$2,269
2021
$1,530
2020
$1,202
2019
$1,506
2018
$1,217
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$480
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$372
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$234
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$183
United Therapeutics Corporation
$166
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$115
HARMONY BIOSCIENCES LLC
$108
Amgen Inc.
$107
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$92
Baxter Healthcare
$83
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$81
Electromed, Inc.
$60
Insmed, Inc.
$49
Mylan Specialty L.P.
$49
GENZYME CORPORATION
$36
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$33
Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.
$33
ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$28
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Inc
$21
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$16
Pulmonx Corporation
$14
Top 3 companies account for 46.1% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$2,356
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$1,810
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$1,101
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$860
GENZYME CORPORATION
$533
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$369
JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$316
Mylan Specialty L.P.
$298
Genentech USA, Inc.
$275
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$266
Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.
$265
Electromed, Inc.
$264
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$240
Allergan Inc.
$237
Amgen Inc.
$236
Harmony Biosciences LLC
$234
United Therapeutics Corporation
$205
Grifols USA, LLC
$187
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$186
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$182
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$168
Resmed Corp
$161
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Inc
$137
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$127
HARMONY BIOSCIENCES LLC
$127
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$127
Optinose US, Inc.
$122
ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$118
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$115
Baxter Healthcare
$108
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$106
Insmed, Inc.
$103
Pharming Healthcare, Inc.
$95
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$93
Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$89
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$88
Advanced Respiratory, Inc
$84
MAYNE PHARMA INC.
$83
Ceribell, Inc.
$66
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$56
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$48
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$33
ADVANCED RESPIRATORY, INC
$20
Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc
$15
Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$15
Breas Medical, Inc.
$14
Pulmonx Corporation
$14
Shire North American Group Inc
$11
Top 3 companies account for 41.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(7999) SRC Und · (8874) inCourage · 400476/Simplus Full Face Mask- Medium · AIRSUPRA · ANORO · ARALAST · AREXVY · AVYCAZ · Adempas · AirCurve · AirDuo Digihaler · AirFit · Arikayce · Astral · BEVESPI AEROSPHERE · BREZTRI · BREZTRI AEROSPHERE · BROVANA · CHARTIS CATHETER · CINQAIR · Ceribell Rapid Response EEG · Cresemba · DALVANCE · DORYX · DUPIXENT · DreamStat Cpap Auto · Esbriet · FARXIGA · FASENRA · FISHER & PAYKEL HEALTHCARE · GLASSIA · HETLIOZ · Hillrom - Life 2000 Ventilation System · Hillrom - Monarch Airway Clearance System · Hillrom - Vest System Model 105 Home Care · INSPIRE · JOENJA · LONHALA MAGNAIR · Letairis · NUCALA · NUZYRA · OFEV · Obstructive Sleep Apnea Device or Hospital Respiratory Equipment · PRI Cpap Auto · PURIFIED CORTROPHIN GEL · Perforomist · Prolastin-C · Prolastin-C Liquid · Repatha · SEEBRI · SMARTVEST · SPIRIVA · SPIRIVA RESPIMAT · STIOLTO · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SUNOSI · SYMBICORT · Sunosi · TEZSPIRE · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TUDORZA PRESSAIR · TYVASO · Tavalisse · The Vest System Model 105 Home Care · Trilogy 100 · UTIBRON · Vivo 45 LS · WAKIX · Wakix · XARELTO · XOLAIR · XYWAV · Xhance · Xolair · YUPELRI · Yupelri · ZEJULA · ZERBAXA
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
Opticians within 10 mi
11
Per 100K population
3.9
County median income
$65,044
Nearest hospital
MERCY MEDICAL CENTER
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. Patel is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 13% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 11% of CA peers, 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. Patel experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Patel performed 2,457 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. Patel receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Patel received a total of $12,767 from 48 companies across 524 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. Patel's costs compare to other opticians in Merced?
Dr. Patel's average Medicare payment per service is $92. 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. Patel) 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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