Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Eduardo Chen
Pain Medicine · Palo Alto, 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. Chen 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. Chen
Dr. Eduardo Chen is a pain medicine specialist in Palo Alto, CA, with 13 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Chen performed 1,732 Medicare services across 1,173 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Chen received a total of $13,376 from 32 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 185 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pain 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. Chen 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.
✓ 13 years in practice
▲ Top 28% volume in CA
$13,376 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,732
Medicare services
Top 28% in CA for pain medicine
1,173
Unique beneficiaries
$83
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~133 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. |
435 | $94 | $321 |
| 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. |
314 | $65 | $219 |
| 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. |
220 | $120 | $495 |
| Injection into lower spine canal with imaging guidance A procedure where a substance is injected into the lower part of the spinal canal. The injection is performed using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
140 | $76 | $1,387 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered. |
79 | $1 | $5 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional lower or sacral spinal facet joint. |
77 | $47 | $851 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the lower or sacral spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
54 | $99 | $1,617 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging guidance An injection into a lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance for the second level treated. |
53 | $57 | $790 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum of 4 views An X-ray imaging test of the lower back and sacrum using at least four different angles to visualize the bones and joints. |
49 | $38 | $151 |
| Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement Use of real-time X-ray imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
46 | $21 | $82 |
| Spinal injection with imaging guidance A procedure where medication is injected into the middle or upper part of the spinal canal. Imaging technology is used to guide the needle to the correct location. |
42 | $80 | $1,407 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint A procedure to destroy nerves in a single lower or sacral spinal facet joint using imaging guidance to target pain signals. |
29 | $206 | $4,016 |
| Sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a sacral spine nerve root. The procedure uses imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
28 | $92 | $1,378 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
27 | $50 | $331 |
| Injection of anesthetic or steroid into sacroiliac joint with imaging guidance This procedure involves injecting an anesthetic or steroid medication into the joint connecting the lower spine and hip bone. Imaging guidance is used to ensure accurate placement of the injection. |
26 | $72 | $564 |
| Knee nerve block injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a nerve branch of the knee, performed using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
24 | $71 | $1,397 |
| Additional sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into an additional sacral spine nerve root level, guided by imaging. |
23 | $38 | $457 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 4-5 views An X-ray imaging test of the upper spine using 4 to 5 different views to visualize the bones and structures in that area. |
18 | $41 | $149 |
| Physical therapy exercise, per 15 min A therapy session using exercises to improve strength, endurance, range of motion, and flexibility. Each 15-minute unit is billed separately. |
17 | $16 | $96 |
| Evaluation for physical therapy, typically 20 minutes | 16 | $56 | $414 |
| Minimally invasive spine decompression, lower spine A minimally invasive procedure to remove bone from the lower spine to relieve pressure on nerve tissue, guided by imaging and accessed through the skin. |
15 | $746 | $5,080 |
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 ↗$13,376
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,911/year across 7 years
Top 15% in CA for pain medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
32
Companies
185
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
$13,376 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$2,281
2023
$858
2022
$2,532
2021
$1,459
2020
$1,445
2019
$2,206
2018
$2,595
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Abbott Laboratories
$701
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$580
Boston Scientific Corporation
$474
Medtronic, Inc.
$143
Curonix LLC
$142
Avanos Medical
$115
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$90
VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
$34
Top 3 companies account for 77.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Abbott Laboratories
$6,019
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$1,298
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$1,268
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$715
Medtronic, Inc.
$621
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$609
Boston Scientific Corporation
$590
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$483
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$236
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$203
Curonix LLC
$142
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$128
SI-BONE, Inc.
$124
PFIZER INC.
$116
Avanos Medical
$115
MML US, Inc.
$110
Amgen Inc.
$100
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$98
Foundation Fusion Solutions, LLC
$87
SI-BONE, INC.
$47
IBSA Pharma Inc.
$43
Almatica Pharma LLC
$41
VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
$34
Allergan, Inc.
$28
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$18
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$17
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$17
AbbVie Inc.
$16
Baudax Bio Inc.
$15
ABBVIE INC.
$14
FIDIA PHARMA USA INC.
$13
AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 64.2% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ANJESO · Aimovig · BOTOX · CFNS StimQ Peripheral Nerve StimulatorSystem · DSUVIA · ETERNA · EUFLEXXA · Evoke · Evoke SCS · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · Hymovis · IFUSE IMPLANT · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Infinion 16 · Intracept · Licart · NAPRELAN · NURTEC ODT · Neuromodulation Disposables and Accessories · Neuromodulation Dspsbls and Accs · OCTRODE · PNS FREEDOM-4A PERMANENT NEUROSTIMULATOR RECEIVER KIT CHANNEL A · PROCLAIM · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Prodigy Family of SCS IPGs · RELISTOR · RESTORE · ReActiv8 · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · STANDARD RF DISPOSABLES · SWIFT-LOCK · SYNCHROMED · StimQ Peripheral Nerve StimulatorSystem · StimQ Receiver Stimulator Kit Channel A US w Receiver · UBRELVY · VECTRIS · VERTIFLEX SUPERION · VYNDAQEL · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XTAMPZA · ZTLido · iFuse Implant · mild Device Kit
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.
Geographic Context
Pain medicines within 10 mi
52
Per 100K population
2.7
County median income
$159,674
Nearest hospital
STANFORD HEALTH CARE
2.1 mi
2.1 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. Chen is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 28% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 15% of CA peers.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Chen experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Chen performed 435 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. Chen receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Chen received a total of $13,376 from 32 companies across 185 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. Chen's costs compare to other pain medicines in Palo Alto?
Dr. Chen's average Medicare payment per service is $83. 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. Chen) 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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