Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Bennett Cua, M.D.
Cardiovascular Disease · Mission Viejo, 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. Cua 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. Cua?
Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →
What this data tells you about Dr. Cua
Dr. Bennett Cua is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Mission Viejo, CA, with 15 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cua performed 5,598 Medicare services across 4,074 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cua received a total of $13,031 from 49 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 511 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. 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. Cua 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 16% volume in CA
$13,031 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗5,598
Medicare services
Top 16% in CA for cardiovascular disease
4,074
Unique beneficiaries
$58
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~373 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| EKG interpretation and report A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report. |
1,557 | $6 | $22 |
| 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. |
1,109 | $101 | $345 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
350 | $166 | $566 |
| Heart muscle strain imaging | 283 | $34 | $108 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
235 | $8 | $13 |
| 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. |
196 | $99 | $266 |
| Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides) A blood test that measures cholesterol and triglyceride levels. |
181 | $13 | $43 |
| Comprehensive metabolic blood panel A blood test that measures a group of chemicals, including glucose, electrolytes, and kidney and liver function markers. |
175 | $10 | $32 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test An injection of regadenoson, a medication used to stress the heart during diagnostic testing. |
168 | $43 | $512 |
| 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. |
160 | $8 | $43 |
| 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. |
143 | $135 | $447 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review. |
86 | $55 | $197 |
| 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. |
83 | $177 | $743 |
| 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. |
78 | $64 | $245 |
| Technetium Tc-99m tetrofosmin diagnostic injection A diagnostic injection of Technetium Tc-99m tetrofosmin used for imaging studies. |
78 | $74 | $222 |
| Stress echocardiogram with ECG monitoring An ultrasound of the heart performed while monitoring heart rhythm during rest, exercise, or medication-induced stress, followed by a review and report of the findings. |
73 | $204 | $686 |
| 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. |
53 | $143 | $514 |
| Basic metabolic blood panel A blood test that measures a group of basic chemicals, including total calcium levels. |
51 | $8 | $24 |
| External EKG monitoring, 8-15 days Continuous external electrocardiogram recording and review over a period of 8 to 15 days to monitor heart rhythm. |
50 | $20 | $70 |
| 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. |
49 | $65 | $192 |
| Continuous external EKG monitoring, 8-15 days This procedure involves recording heart rhythm continuously using an external EKG device over a period of 8 to 15 days. |
48 | $11 | $41 |
| 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. |
48 | $140 | $485 |
| Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older. |
44 | $10 | $145 |
| Follow-up heart ultrasound An ultrasound of the heart performed to monitor or reassess a previously identified condition or treatment progress. |
33 | $20 | $320 |
| Continuous EKG monitoring review, 48-7 days Review and interpretation of continuous external EKG recordings lasting more than 48 hours up to 7 days. |
31 | $19 | $64 |
| Echocardiogram with color Doppler An ultrasound of the heart that uses color imaging to visualize blood flow, measure flow rate, and assess valve function. |
31 | $3 | $188 |
| Follow-up ultrasound of heart blood flow, valves and chambers An ultrasound exam that follows up on the heart's blood flow, valves, and chambers. It uses sound waves to create images of the heart's structure and function. |
30 | $6 | $75 |
| Continuous external EKG monitoring, 48 hours to 7 days This procedure involves recording the heart's electrical activity continuously using an external device for a period exceeding 48 hours but not more than 7 days. |
29 | $11 | $41 |
| Coronary angiography A procedure to insert a tube into a coronary artery to capture diagnostic images of the heart's blood vessels. |
26 | $143 | $2,120 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while an electrocardiogram is monitored under physician supervision. |
25 | $18 | $57 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram, with physician review of the results. |
25 | $12 | $38 |
| Coronary stent placement A procedure to insert a stent into a coronary artery or its branch to keep it open, using balloon dilation during the process. |
22 | $427 | $1,500 |
| Ultrasound of heart blood vessel or graft An ultrasound exam to evaluate blood flow in a heart blood vessel or graft, including a radiologist's review of the initial vessel. |
20 | $76 | $688 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
15 | $13 | $39 |
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test A blood test that measures the level of thyroid stimulating hormone to evaluate thyroid function. |
13 | $16 | $48 |
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.
7.2% high complexity
14.7% medium
78.1% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$13,031
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,862/year across 7 years
Top 23% in CA for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
49
Companies
511
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
$12,911 (99.1%)
Scientific / Research
Research funding and grants
$120 (0.9%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,691
2023
$1,893
2022
$1,943
2021
$540
2020
$380
2019
$4,243
2018
$2,342
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boston Scientific Corporation
$231
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$188
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$144
Amgen Inc.
$134
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$111
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$104
PFIZER INC.
$91
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$82
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$80
Abbott Laboratories
$77
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$75
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$68
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$65
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$58
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$57
Novo Nordisk Inc
$44
Acist Medical Systems, Inc.
$25
Chiesi USA, Inc.
$23
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$19
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$14
Top 3 companies account for 33.3% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Abbott Laboratories
$2,198
Amgen Inc.
$1,191
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$1,029
PFIZER INC.
$795
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$589
Boston Scientific Corporation
$551
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$525
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$472
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$392
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$388
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$385
ABIOMED
$380
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$373
Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
$330
BIOTRONIK INC.
$321
Cook Medical LLC
$311
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$281
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$267
Chiesi USA, Inc.
$240
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
$173
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$171
Corindus Inc.
$163
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$130
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$124
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$123
Cardinal Health 200, LLC
$117
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$115
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$114
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$80
Novo Nordisk Inc
$67
CARDIVA MEDICAL, INC.
$64
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$57
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$56
Shockwave Medical, Inc
$48
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$44
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$41
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$40
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$39
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$30
HeartFlow, Inc.
$26
Acist Medical Systems, Inc.
$25
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$24
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$24
Ethicon US, LLC
$23
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$22
CathWorks, Inc.
$21
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$20
Lundbeck LLC
$17
EKOS Corporation
$13
Top 3 companies account for 33.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ABSOLUTE PRO · ALPHAVAC · AMVUTTRA · ANDEXXA · AQUAMANTYS · Arcalyst · Assure WCD · BRILINTA · BYDUREON · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CHANTIX · COOK MEDICAL ZILVER PTX · CVI Systems · CardioMEMS HF System · Confirm Rx · CorPath GRX · Corlanor · Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System · Diamondback Coronary · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · EKOSONIC · ELIQUIS · ENSITE · ENTRESTO · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · FARXIGA · FFRangio System · FFRct · Fox Sv PTA catheter and Armada 14 percutaneous catheter and Viatrac 14 Plus peripheral catheter · GENERAL CATHETER · GENERAL STENTS · GENERAL - TACHY · GENERAL BRADY · IGT Devices Und · Impella · JARDIANCE · KENGREAL · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LEXISCAN · LUX-Dx Insertable Cardiac Monitor · LifeVest · Livalo · MULTAQ · Mitra Clip system · NEXLETOL · NEXLIZET · NORTHERA · ONPATTRO · Optimizer · Optis Coronary Imaging System · Ozempic · PERCLOSE PROGLIDE · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · PRALUENT ALIROCUMAB INJECTION · ROTAPRO · Ranexa · Repatha · Resolute · SAMSCA · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · SHOCKWAVE IVL SYSTEM WITH THE SHOCKWAVE C2 CORONARY IVL CATHETER · SURGICEL Family of Absorbable Hemostats · SYNERGY · Shockwave IVL System with the Shockwave C2 Coronary IVL Catheter · Supera peripheral stent system · VERQUVO · VYNDAQEL · Vascepa · Vascular Closure Device · Vascular Lithotripsy · WAINUA · WATCHMAN FLX · XARELTO · XIENCE SKYPOINT · Xience V coronary stent system · ZIO XT Patch
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 (99%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
Cardiologists within 10 mi
197
Per 100K population
6.2
County median income
$113,702
Nearest hospital
PROVIDENCE MISSION 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. Cua is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 16% in CA), 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. Cua experienced with ekg interpretation and report?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Cua performed 1,557 ekg interpretation and report 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. Cua receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Cua received a total of $13,031 from 49 companies across 511 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. Cua's costs compare to other cardiologists in Mission Viejo?
Dr. Cua's average Medicare payment per service is $58. 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. Cua) 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 →
Explore related providers
Same specialty & city
Cardiologists in Mission Viejo
Browse cardiologists in Mission Viejo ranked by procedure volume and transparency data.
Highest volume
Top Cardiologists in CA
Cardiologists ranked by total Medicare services performed statewide.
Industry payments
Pharma Payments to Cardiologists in CA
Which CA cardiologists receive the most from drug and device companies.
By company
Abbott Laboratories Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Abbott Laboratories.
By company
Amgen Inc. Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Amgen Inc.
By company
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
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