Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Paul Kim, M.D.

Orthopaedic Surgery of the Spine Physician · San Diego, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
6719 ALVARADO ROAD, San Diego, CA 92120
6192657912
In practice since 2008 (17 years)
NPI: 1639336043 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. Kim 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. Kim? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Kim

Dr. Paul Kim is an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in San Diego, CA, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Kim performed 676 Medicare services across 505 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Kim received a total of $115,640 from 42 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 288 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician. 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. Kim 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.

✓ 17 years in practice ▲ Top 50% volume in CA $115,640 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
676
Medicare services
Top 50% in CA for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
505
Unique beneficiaries
$171
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~40 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 (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.
245 $105 $788
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.
109 $134 $1,018
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.
89 $72 $568
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.
67 $151 $1,103
Spine fusion with cage or mesh device insertion
A surgical procedure to fuse spine bones by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space.
39 $204 $6,538
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 34 $167 $1,336
Aspiration of bone marrow for spine bone graft 23 $56 $350
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, 1 segment
A surgical procedure involving the partial removal of a bone segment in the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. This is performed on a single spinal segment.
18 $732 $8,868
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, each additional segment
This procedure involves the partial removal of spinal bone to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. It is billed for each additional spinal segment treated beyond the initial segment.
15 $166 $1,807
Lower back spinal fusion with bone and disc removal
A surgical procedure to fuse vertebrae in the lower back. It involves removing part of the spine bone and a disc to stabilize the area.
13 $1,467 $14,125
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release during fusion
This procedure involves removing part of the bone in a single segment of the lower spine to release the spinal cord or nerves, performed during a spinal fusion.
13 $204 $1,318
Placement of stabilizing device to back of 1 spine bone in neck
A procedure involving the placement of a stabilizing device on the back of a single vertebra in the neck.
11 $598 $5,943
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.
9.6% high complexity
0.0% medium
90.4% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$115,640
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $16,520/year across 7 years
Top 25% in CA for orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
42
Companies
288
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$55,747 (48.2%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$45,961 (39.7%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$13,932 (12.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,854
2023
$1,050
2022
$3,955
2021
$10,392
2020
$29,901
2019
$26,597
2018
$41,891

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic, Inc.
$687
Globus Medical, Inc.
$422
Intrinsic Therapeutics
$403
Centinel Spine, LLC
$89
Boston Scientific Corporation
$87
Curonix LLC
$85
Amgen Inc.
$30
Cerapedics Inc.
$28
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
$23
Top 3 companies account for 81.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Globus Medical, Inc.
$27,871
NuVasive, Inc.
$24,108
Surgalign Spine Technologies, Inc.
$19,146
SPINAL ELEMENTS, INC.
$11,888
Spinal Elements, Inc.
$10,876
Aziyo Biologics, Inc.
$9,751
RTI Surgical, Inc.
$3,039
Prosidyan, Inc
$2,248
SI-BONE, Inc.
$904
Nevro Corp.
$884
Medtronic, Inc.
$687
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$539
Intrinsic Therapeutics
$428
Amendia, Inc.
$343
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$335
Boston Scientific Corporation
$329
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$294
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$261
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$250
Curonix LLC
$197
Abbott Laboratories
$157
Stryker Corporation
$152
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$133
DJO, LLC
$123
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$92
Centinel Spine, LLC
$89
SI-BONE, INC.
$86
Terumo BCT, Inc.
$76
Electronic Waveform Lab, Inc.
$45
Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Inc.
$38
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$34
Amgen Inc.
$30
Cerapedics Inc.
$28
Baxter Healthcare
$26
GS Solutions, Inc.
$24
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
$23
Misonix Inc
$21
Evolution Surgical, Inc
$21
MML US, Inc.
$19
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$18
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$13
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 61.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
3D Printed Integrated ALIF Spa · ALIF · ALTERA · Allograft · Art Exp TLIF · BARRICAID ACD (ANNULAR CLOSURE DEVICE) · BASE · Biologics · Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate System · BoneScalpel · Bullshark · CATALYFT PL EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM · CD HORIZON SPINAL SYSTEM · CMF SPINALOGIC · COFLEX · CONFIDENCE · CORBEL · CREO · CREO MIS · Cosine · ECM Patch · EVENITY · EXCELSIUS GPS · EXPAREL · EXPEDIUM · Excelsius - GPS · Excelsius Robotics System · Excelsius3D Imaging System · ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Navigation System · FLOSEAL · FORTILINK CAGES WITH TIPLUS TECHNOLOGY · FORTILINK-TC TIPLUS · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · General - Pain Management · HEDRON · HeartWare HVAD · I-FACTOR PEPTIDE ENHANCED BONE GRAFT · IFUSE IMPLANT · INDEPENDENCE · INDEPENDENCE AGX · INDEPENDENCE MIS · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · IVS - VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION PRODUCTS · Infinion 16 · Integra · Lucent · Lucent XP · MEDICAL DEVICE · MIS RETRACTOR · MIS TLIF · Medical Device · Mercury MIS · Mobi-C · ORTHOVISC · Omnia · Osteocel · PNS FREEDOM-4A PERMANENT NEUROSTIMULATOR RECEIVER KIT CHANNEL A · PROCLAIM · PRODISC C VIVO · Physio-Stim · Pouch · Pulse · RETRACTOR · RISE · ReActiv8 · SABLE · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · Senza · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Spine · TLIF · TLX · TetraFuse · VI BONE · VIPER · VIVIGEN MIS DELIVERY SYSTEM · Vertu · ViBone · XLIF · ZYNRELEF · iFuse Implant
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 (48%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware.

Looking for an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in San Diego?
Compare orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in the San Diego area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians nearby

Geographic Context

Orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians within 10 mi
27
Per 100K population
0.8
County median income
$102,285
Nearest hospital
KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITAL - 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. Kim is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement, with 17 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. Kim experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Kim performed 245 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. Kim receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Kim received a total of $115,640 from 42 companies across 288 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. Kim's costs compare to other orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in San Diego?
Dr. Kim's average Medicare payment per service is $171. 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. Kim) 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 →