Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Alan Westeren, M.D.

Ophthalmology · San Diego, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
16486 BERNARDO CENTER DR, San Diego, CA 92128
8586732277
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1962513135 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. Westeren 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. Westeren

Dr. Alan Westeren is an ophthalmology specialist in San Diego, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Westeren performed 604 Medicare services across 144 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Westeren received a total of $1,665 from 8 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 16 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in ophthalmology. 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. Westeren 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 ▲ 604 Medicare services $1,665 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
604
Medicare services
Bottom 25% in CA for ophthalmology
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
144
Unique beneficiaries
$46
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~32 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
Prolonged office E/M service, first 15 minutes
This code is used for additional time spent by a physician beyond the maximum required time of a primary office or outpatient evaluation and management service. It is billed in 15-minute increments based on total time spent on the date of the primary service.
 290 $26 $83
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.
 116 $13 $148
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.
 109 $148 $435
Visual field test, extended
A test that maps your complete field of vision to detect blind spots or peripheral vision loss. Extended testing provides a more detailed assessment than a standard visual field exam.
 64 $28 $143
Optic nerve imaging (OCT scan)
Imaging of the optic nerve.
 25 $18 $71
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 ↗
$1,665
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $278/year across 6 years
Top 47% in CA for ophthalmology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
8
Companies
16
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
$1,665 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$81
2023
$154
2022
$476
2021
$214
2019
$314
2018
$427

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Dompe US, Inc.
$81
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$591
Alcon Vision LLC
$254
Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$249
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$233
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$118
Allergan, Inc.
$115
Dompe US, Inc.
$81
AbbVie Inc.
$24
Top 3 companies account for 65.7% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · BESIVANCE · Clareon · LOTEMAX SM · LUMIGAN · OXERVATE · Rhopressa · VUITY · VYZULTA · rhopressa
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.

Looking for an ophthalmology specialist in San Diego?
Compare ophthalmologists in the San Diego area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Ophthalmologists within 10 mi
286
Per 100K population
8.7
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
AURORA SAN DIEGO
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. Westeren is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement 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

Is Dr. Westeren experienced with prolonged office e/m service, first 15 minutes?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Westeren performed 290 prolonged office e/m service, first 15 minutes 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. Westeren receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Westeren received a total of $1,665 from 8 companies across 16 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. Westeren's costs compare to other ophthalmologists in San Diego?
Dr. Westeren's average Medicare payment per service is $46. 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. Westeren) 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.

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 →