Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Kevin Merkes, MD

Geriatric Medicine (Internal Medicine) Physician · Poway, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
15525 POMERADO RD STE A1, Poway, CA 92064
8584856444
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1760578744 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. Merkes 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. Merkes? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Merkes

Dr. Kevin Merkes is a geriatric medicine physician in Poway, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Merkes performed 841 Medicare services across 680 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Merkes received a total of $13,287 from 62 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 630 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in geriatric medicine (internal medicine) physician. 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. Merkes 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 43% volume in CA $13,287 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
841
Medicare services
Top 43% in CA for geriatric medicine (internal medicine) physician
680
Unique beneficiaries
$75
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~44 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.
317 $61 $109
Annual wellness visit, follow-up
A follow-up annual wellness visit that includes a personalized prevention plan of service.
179 $138 $169
Advance care planning consultation, first 30 min
A session focused on discussing and documenting future healthcare preferences and goals. This service covers the initial 30 minutes of the planning discussion.
176 $52 $123
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.
70 $93 $158
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.
33 $11 $25
Flu vaccine administration
This procedure involves the administration of the influenza virus vaccine. It covers the process of delivering the vaccine to the patient.
27 $23 $23
Flu vaccine, high-dose
High-dose seasonal influenza vaccine for adults aged 65 and older. Contains four times the antigen of standard-dose flu vaccines (60 mcg per strain), split-virus formulation, preservative-free, single-dose syringe.
26 $72 $73
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg 13 $5 $8
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 ↗
$13,287
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,898/year across 7 years
Top 5% in CA for geriatric medicine (internal medicine) physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
62
Companies
630
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
$11,249 (84.7%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$1,995 (15.0%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$43 (0.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,514
2023
$1,012
2022
$3,737
2021
$2,444
2020
$1,297
2019
$1,391
2018
$1,894

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Lilly USA, LLC
$265
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$194
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$193
ABBVIE INC.
$148
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$137
Novo Nordisk Inc
$88
Amgen Inc.
$60
Dexcom, Inc.
$59
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$57
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$56
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$44
PFIZER INC.
$43
Seqirus USA Inc
$30
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$29
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$25
Abbott Laboratories
$24
Organogenesis Inc.
$22
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$22
SI-BONE, INC.
$16
Top 3 companies account for 43.1% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$1,995
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$1,200
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$1,132
AbbVie Inc.
$827
ABBVIE INC.
$724
Lilly USA, LLC
$713
Novo Nordisk Inc
$665
PFIZER INC.
$527
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$482
Amgen Inc.
$413
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$391
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$379
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$369
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$338
Eisai Inc.
$226
Allergan, Inc.
$201
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$200
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$193
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$172
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$167
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$167
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$153
Abbott Laboratories
$116
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$113
Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC
$107
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$97
AbbVie, Inc.
$87
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$85
Seqirus USA Inc
$78
OptiNose US, Inc.
$70
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$69
Dexcom, Inc.
$59
Nevro Corp.
$58
SANOFI PASTEUR INC.
$51
Radius Health, Inc.
$43
Orexo US, Inc.
$41
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$41
SI-BONE, INC.
$38
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$32
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$31
IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS US INC
$29
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$29
Horizon Pharma plc
$24
Sanofi Pasteur Inc.
$24
Linus Health, Inc.
$23
Allergan Inc.
$23
Organogenesis Inc.
$22
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$22
Optinose US, Inc.
$22
TherapeuticsMD, Inc.
$21
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.
$21
Hologic Sales and Service, LLC
$20
Medtronic MiniMed, Inc.
$20
Exact Sciences Corporation
$19
EISAI INC.
$18
Boston Scientific Corporation
$16
Concordia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$15
Kaleo, Inc.
$15
Hologic, LLC
$15
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
DEXCOM, INC.
$14
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 32.6% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADVAIR · AIRSUPRA · AJOVY · ANNOVERA · ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · AREXVY · AVYCAZ · Aimovig · Amitiza · Androgel · BELSOMRA · BEVESPI AEROSPHERE · BREO · BREZTRI · BYDUREON · BYSTOLIC · Belviq · CHANTIX · COLOGUARD DNA CAPTURE REAGENTS · CONTRAVE · CORE COGNITIVE EVALUATION · CRYSVITA · Cologuard Collection Kit · DALVANCE · DEXCOM G6 TRANSMITTER · DIFICID · DONNATAL · Dayvigo · Dexcom G6 Transmitter · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · ENTRESTO · EVENITY · EVZIO · FARXIGA · FLUCELVAX QUADRIVALENT · FLUZONE HIGH-DOSE · FREESTYLE LIBRE 2 · FREESTYLE LIBRE 3 · Fluad · Fluad Quadrivalent · FreeStyle Libre 2 · GARDASIL · GARDASIL 9 · GATTEX · General - Pain Management · Horizant · INJECTAFER · INSPIRE · INVOKANA · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · KRYSTEXXA · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LYRICA · Livalo · MOUNJARO · MYRBETRIQ · Movantik · NO PRODUCT DISCUSSED · NURTEC ODT · OCTRODE · Omnia · Ozempic · PAXLOVID · PRALUENT · PREVNAR 13 · PREVNAR 20 · Prolia · QULIPTA · QUVIVIQ · RAYOS · Repatha · Rybelsus · SEGLENTIS · SHINGRIX · SOLIQUA · SOLIQUA 100/33 · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SYMBICORT · Saxenda · Senza · THINPREP 2000 PROCESSOR · TOUJEO · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TROKENDI XR · TRULICITY · ThinPrep · Tresiba · Trintellix · Tymlos · UBRELVY · VESICARE · VIAGRA · VIBERZI · VRAYLAR · Vascepa · Victoza · Wegovy · XARELTO · XIFAXAN · XIGDUO · Xhance · Xultophy 100/3.6 · ZORYVE · ZTLido · Zubsolv · iPro2
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 (85%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 5% for geriatric medicine (internal medicine) physician in CA.

Looking for a geriatric medicine physician in Poway?
Compare geriatric medicine physicians in the Poway area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Geriatric medicine physicians within 10 mi
73
Per 100K population
2.2
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
PALOMAR MEDICAL CENTER POWAY
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. Merkes is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 5% 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. Merkes experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Merkes performed 317 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. Merkes receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Merkes received a total of $13,287 from 62 companies across 630 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. Merkes's costs compare to other geriatric medicine physicians in Poway?
Dr. Merkes's average Medicare payment per service is $75. 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. Merkes) 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 →