Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Vitaliy Zak, M.D.

Internal Medicine · Palm Desert, CA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
44139 MONTEREY AVE STE A, Palm Desert, CA 92260
7604695195
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1669566535 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. Zak 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. Zak? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Zak

Dr. Vitaliy Zak is an internal medicine specialist in Palm Desert, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Zak performed 5,809 Medicare services across 1,358 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Zak received a total of $9,460 from 29 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 156 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in internal medicine. 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. Zak 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 5% volume in CA $9,460 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
5,809
Medicare services
Top 5% in CA for internal medicine
1,358
Unique beneficiaries
$111
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~306 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
Eye injection (Vabysmo/faricimab)
An injection of faricimab-svoa, a medication administered in 0.1 mg doses.
2,580 $29 $104
Eye injection for retinal disease
A procedure involving the administration of medication directly into the eye.
579 $78 $482
Retinal imaging (OCT scan)
This procedure involves imaging the retina to visualize its structure. It is used to examine the back of the eye.
489 $28 $100
Injection, ranibizumab, 0.1 mg 488 $170 $578
Aflibercept eye injection (Eylea) 482 $693 $2,271
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient
A comprehensive examination of the visual system performed for a patient who has previously been seen by the provider.
310 $82 $344
Bevacizumab injection, 10 mg
Administration of a 10 mg dose of bevacizumab medication via injection.
173 $52 $251
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.
146 $80 $314
Comprehensive eye exam, new patient
A comprehensive examination of the visual system performed for a new patient.
86 $96 $408
Retinal photography (fundus photo)
This procedure involves taking photographs of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It is used to document the condition of the eye's interior structures.
80 $25 $91
Retinal angiography with dye injection
This procedure uses a special camera to examine the blood vessels in the retina after a dye has been injected into the body.
72 $96 $332
Optic nerve imaging (OCT scan)
Imaging of the optic nerve.
39 $26 $89
Extended eye exam with retinal drawing
A detailed examination of the back of the eye that includes creating a drawing of the retina.
38 $17 $67
Corneal topography and eye depth measurement
This procedure measures the curvature and depth of the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye.
37 $25 $103
Extended exam of back of eye with optic nerve drawing
A detailed examination of the posterior section of the eye, including the optic nerve, with documentation through drawing.
37 $11 $42
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
37 $42 $140
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.
37 $61 $221
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.
31 $107 $453
Retinal laser treatment for leaking blood vessels
This procedure uses a laser to seal leaking blood vessels in the retina. It is performed to prevent vision loss caused by fluid leakage from damaged retinal vessels.
30 $229 $968
Cataract surgery with lens implant
Surgical removal of the clouded natural lens of the eye and replacement with an artificial prosthetic lens to restore vision.
25 $396 $1,463
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.
13 $66 $305
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.
0.4% high complexity
84.4% medium
15.2% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$9,460
Total received (2019-2024)
Avg $1,577/year across 6 years
Top 10% in CA for internal medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
29
Companies
156
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
$9,460 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$696
2023
$1,554
2022
$1,484
2021
$5,492
2020
$63
2019
$172

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$267
Alimera Sciences, Inc.
$135
Sight Sciences, Inc.
$128
RxSight Inc
$83
ABBVIE INC.
$66
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 76.1% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2019-2024) ›
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$3,684
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$543
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$500
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$477
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$406
Genentech USA, Inc.
$322
Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$313
Allergan, Inc.
$290
Eyevance Pharmaceuticals LLC
$245
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$242
Sight Sciences, Inc.
$227
RxSight Inc
$206
ABBVIE INC.
$181
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$181
Coherus Biosciences Inc.
$149
Alimera Sciences, Inc.
$147
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$142
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$136
AbbVie Inc.
$135
Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.
$126
Dompe US, Inc.
$125
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$123
Glaukos Corporation
$118
GLAUKOS CORPORATION
$116
TISSUETECH, INC.
$115
Biogen, Inc.
$91
Lombart Brothers, Inc.
$60
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$32
Dutch Ophthalmic, USA
$28
Top 3 companies account for 50.0% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · BOTOX · Catalys System · Cimerli · DEXYCU · DURYSTA · EVA · EYLEA · EYSUVIS · IACCESS · Iluvien · Izervay · LIGHT ADJUSTABLE LENS (LAL) AND LIGHT DELIVERY DEVICE (LDD) · LUMIGAN · MIEBO · OMNI SURGICAL SYSTEM · OMNI(R) SURGICAL SYSTEM (US) · OPD-III · OXERVATE · OZURDEX · One Series Ultra · PROKERA · RXSIGHT CONTACT LENS · STELLARIS · Syfovre · TYRVAYA · Tobradex ST · VABYSMO · VYZULTA · Vabysmo · XIIDRA · Xeomin · YUTIQ · Zerviate · combined machine · iStent inject W
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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 10% for internal medicine in CA.

Looking for an internal medicine specialist in Palm Desert?
Compare internal medicine physicians in the Palm Desert area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Internal medicine physicians within 10 mi
211
Per 100K population
8.6
County median income
$89,672
Nearest hospital
EISENHOWER MEDICAL CENTER
4.8 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. Zak is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 5% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 10% 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. Zak experienced with eye injection (vabysmo/faricimab)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Zak performed 2,580 eye injection (vabysmo/faricimab) 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. Zak receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Zak received a total of $9,460 from 29 companies across 156 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. Zak's costs compare to other internal medicine physicians in Palm Desert?
Dr. Zak's average Medicare payment per service is $111. 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. Zak) 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 →