Dr. Nathaniel Schuster, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Schuster
Dr. Nathaniel Schuster is a neurology specialist in San Diego, CA, with 15 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Schuster performed 637 Medicare services across 426 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Schuster received a total of $312,365 from 23 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 497 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurology. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Schuster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trigger point injection, 3 or more muscles Injection of medication into three or more specific muscle trigger points to relieve pain. |
81 | $25 | $204 |
| 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. |
69 | $72 | $347 |
| 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. |
57 | $93 | $1,181 |
| 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. |
56 | $77 | $892 |
| Injection of anesthetic or steroid into upper neck and back of head nerve An injection of an anesthetic agent and/or steroid into a nerve located in the upper neck and back of the head. |
54 | $59 | $533 |
| Ultrasound guidance for needle placement Use of ultrasound imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
48 | $25 | $247 |
| Bilateral facial and neck nerve muscle paralysis injection Injection of a chemical agent to paralyze muscles in the face and neck on both sides. |
38 | $94 | $503 |
| 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. |
36 | $54 | $455 |
| Facial nerve injection with anesthetic and/or steroid An injection of an anesthetic agent and/or steroid into the facial nerve. This procedure delivers medication directly to the nerve. |
36 | $31 | $490 |
| Injection of anesthetic agent and/or steroid into other nerve or branch | 35 | $25 | $632 |
| 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. |
22 | $92 | $1,152 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 22 | $142 | $673 |
| 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. |
21 | $113 | $480 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
18 | $40 | $469 |
| 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. |
18 | $80 | $926 |
| 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. |
14 | $108 | $539 |
| 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. |
12 | $9 | $190 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗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 (2024)
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
The majority of payments (68%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in neurology and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 3% for neurology in CA.
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 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. Schuster is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 3% of CA peers, with 15 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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