Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Suraj Achar, M.D.

Family Medicine · San Diego, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
200 W ARBOR DR, San Diego, CA 92103
8586578600
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1235167321 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. Achar 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. Achar? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Achar

Dr. Suraj Achar is a family medicine specialist in San Diego, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Achar performed 262 Medicare services across 215 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Achar received a total of $841 from 6 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 7 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in family medicine. 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. Achar 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 ▲ 262 Medicare services $841 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
262
Medicare services
Bottom 38% in CA for family medicine
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
215
Unique beneficiaries
$52
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~14 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.
 142 $57 $369
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.
 39 $50 $255
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.
 26 $77 $543
Annual wellness visit, follow-up
A follow-up annual wellness visit that includes a personalized prevention plan of service.
 24 $47 $503
Betamethasone steroid injection
An injection containing a combination of betamethasone acetate and betamethasone sodium phosphate.
 20 $5 $28
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.
 11 $33 $162
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 2022 ↗
$841
Total received (2018-2022)
Avg $280/year across 3 years
Top 29% in CA for family medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
6
Companies
7
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
$841 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2022
$125
2019
$417
2018
$299

Payments by company (2022)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$125
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2022 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2022) ›
Amgen Inc.
$216
FIDIA PHARMA USA INC.
$194
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$125
Vericel Corporation
$125
Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$105
Bioventus LLC
$76
Top 3 companies account for 63.6% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Aimovig · Durolane · HYALGAN · MACI · ONZETRA Xsail
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 a family medicine specialist in San Diego?
Compare family medicine physicians in the San Diego area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Family medicine physicians within 10 mi
1,264
Per 100K population
38.5
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 2022
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. Achar 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. Achar experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Achar performed 142 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. Achar receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Achar received a total of $841 from 6 companies across 7 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. Achar's costs compare to other family medicine physicians in San Diego?
Dr. Achar's average Medicare payment per service is $52. 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. Achar) 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 →