Dr. Joel Saal, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Saal
Dr. Joel Saal is a pain medicine physician in Redwood City, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Saal performed 1,770 Medicare services across 1,139 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Saal received a total of $5,106 from 11 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 26 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pain medicine (physical medicine & rehabilitation) physician. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Saal 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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. |
652 | $83 | $176 |
| 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. |
173 | $10 | $165 |
| 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. |
124 | $116 | $258 |
| 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. |
123 | $110 | $662 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 119 | $190 | $485 |
| 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. |
78 | $106 | $460 |
| 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. |
72 | $61 | $250 |
| Limited ultrasound of joint or extremity A focused ultrasound exam of a specific joint or other structure in the arm or leg, excluding blood vessels. |
50 | $38 | $113 |
| 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. |
43 | $44 | $375 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging An injection into a second spinal facet joint in the upper or middle spine, guided by imaging to ensure accurate placement. |
43 | $69 | $270 |
| 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. |
43 | $165 | $345 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the upper or middle spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
42 | $123 | $496 |
| 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. |
37 | $241 | $1,193 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional lower or sacral spinal facet joint. |
36 | $73 | $679 |
| 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. |
30 | $88 | $427 |
| 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. |
20 | $125 | $389 |
| Ultrasound guidance for needle placement Use of ultrasound imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
17 | $58 | $150 |
| Ultrasound-guided large joint aspiration or injection This procedure uses ultrasound imaging to guide the removal of fluid from or the injection of medication into a large joint. |
15 | $97 | $221 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional upper or middle spinal facet joint. |
15 | $80 | $717 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy the nerves supplying a single upper or middle spinal facet joint. It is performed to interrupt pain signals from that specific joint. |
14 | $224 | $1,200 |
| Electromyography of arm or leg muscles A test that measures the electrical activity in the muscles of the arm or leg using a needle electrode. It helps evaluate the health of muscles and the nerve cells that control them. |
13 | $100 | $250 |
| Nerve conduction studies, 5-6 tests A series of 5 to 6 tests that measure how well nerves send electrical signals. The procedure evaluates nerve function and helps identify damage or dysfunction. |
11 | $134 | $363 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2023 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2023)
All-time payments by company (2018-2023) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
The majority of payments (63%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.
Geographic Context
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 2023 |
| 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. Saal is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with consulting-driven industry engagement, 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
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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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