Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Alois Zauner, MD

Neurological Surgery · San Diego, CA
Practice pattern: Interventional Cardiology — Practice focused on catheter-based cardiac procedures
Consulting-driven
4060 4TH AVE STE 508, San Diego, CA 92103
6196847085
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1922023720 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. Zauner 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. Zauner? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Zauner

Dr. Alois Zauner is a neurological surgery specialist in San Diego, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Zauner performed 1,387 Medicare services across 1,150 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Zauner received a total of $425,726 from 14 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 233 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. 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. Zauner 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 6% volume in CA $425,726 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,387
Medicare services
Top 6% in CA for neurological surgery
1,150
Unique beneficiaries
$148
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~73 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
Ultrasound of brain blood flow
An ultrasound test used to examine blood flow within the brain to check for blood clots.
204 $46 $209
Neck artery catheter insertion with radiology review
A tube is inserted into an artery in the neck for diagnostic or treatment purposes. A radiologist reviews the procedure.
194 $331 $1,231
Brain artery catheterization
A tube is inserted into an artery in the brain for diagnosis or treatment, with review by a radiologist.
185 $227 $1,260
Complete ultrasound of brain blood flow
An ultrasound test that evaluates blood flow within the brain's blood vessels. It uses sound waves to create images of the vessels and assess circulation.
146 $37 $149
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.
119 $10 $39
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity
Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
98 $98 $322
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.
65 $138 $515
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.
64 $71 $230
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service.
62 $63 $224
Brain blood flow ultrasound with microbubble injection
An ultrasound test that uses microbubble injections to visualize blood flow within the brain's blood vessels. This procedure is used to detect blood clots.
41 $48 $194
Neck artery stent insertion with clot protection
A procedure to place a stent in a neck artery to keep it open, using a device to protect against blood clots during the process. A radiologist reviews the procedure.
24 $745 $3,043
Radiologist review of image for embolization
A radiologist reviews medical images to guide the insertion of material designed to block blood flow.
23 $56 $206
Blood vessel imaging
Imaging test to visualize the blood vessels.
22 $72 $255
Hospital discharge day management, 30 minutes or less
This service covers the final day of hospital care when the patient is being discharged. It includes coordination of care and instructions for the patient within a time frame of 30 minutes or less.
22 $67 $226
Arterial catheter insertion in neck
A tube is inserted into an artery in the neck for diagnostic or treatment purposes. A radiologist reviews the procedure.
19 $96 $401
3D radiographic procedure
A radiographic imaging technique that creates three-dimensional representations of internal structures.
19 $8 $74
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.
19 $93 $345
Occlusion of central nervous system or spinal cord artery 17 $869 $3,514
Intracranial artery catheter insertion
A radiologist inserts a tube into an artery in the brain for diagnostic or treatment purposes.
16 $159 $985
Head artery clot removal and dissolution
A procedure to remove a blood clot from an artery in the head and inject medication to dissolve remaining clots, guided by fluoroscopy.
14 $660 $3,200
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.
14 $95 $338
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.
31.6% high complexity
29.8% medium
38.6% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$425,726
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $60,818/year across 7 years
Top 5% in CA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
14
Companies
233
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.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$230,719 (54.2%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$193,611 (45.5%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$1,395 (0.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$110,360
2023
$63,860
2022
$170,592
2021
$51,489
2020
$3,952
2019
$19,859
2018
$5,614

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic, Inc.
$68,295
Balt USA, LLC
$40,621
Imperative Care, Inc
$1,406
KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America
$37
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Balt USA, LLC
$194,244
Medtronic, Inc.
$190,011
Stryker Corporation
$26,531
Imperative Care, Inc
$7,978
QAPEL MEDICAL INC
$6,200
Penumbra, Inc.
$264
Imperative Care, INc
$163
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$150
Scientia Vascular
$70
KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America
$37
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$30
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$16
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$16
Route 92 Medical, Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 96.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(5004) IGT Prof Services · (6321) Azurion 7 B20 DS Adv · 103CM · 8F BASE CAMP SHEATH SYSTEM · ATLAS · Aristotle Guidewire · Barricade Coil System · Carrier Delivery Catheter · CorPath Imaging System · FLOWGATE · GATEWAY · Imperative Care Zoom · NEUROFORM EZ · NONE · ONYX 18 · ONYX FRONTIER · Optima Coil System · Optima Thermal Coil System · PIPELINE · PULSERIDER · Penumbra SMART Coil · Penumbra System · Prestige Coil System · SURPASS · Solitaire · Spectra · TARGET · TREVO · TracStarLargeDistalPlatform · WINGSPAN · ZOOM 88-T LARGE DISTAL PLATFORM · ZOOM RDL RADIAL ACCESS SYSTEM · ZOOM REPERFUSION CATHETER · n.a.
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 →

The majority of payments (54%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 5% for neurological surgery in CA.

Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in San Diego?
Compare neurological surgerists in the San Diego area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurological surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
78
Per 100K population
2.4
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
UC SAN DIEGO HEALTH HILLCREST - HILLCREST MED CTR
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. Zauner is an interventional cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 6% in CA), with consulting-driven 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. Zauner experienced with ultrasound of brain blood flow?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Zauner performed 204 ultrasound of brain blood flow 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. Zauner receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Zauner received a total of $425,726 from 14 companies across 233 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. Zauner's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in San Diego?
Dr. Zauner's average Medicare payment per service is $148. 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. Zauner) 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 →