Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Benjamin Lau, M.D.

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation · San Francisco, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
4306 GEARY BLVD, San Francisco, CA 94118
4158766400
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1144211665 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. Lau 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. Lau? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Lau

Dr. Benjamin Lau is a physical medicine & rehabilitation specialist in San Francisco, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Lau performed 391 Medicare services across 127 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Lau received a total of $3,534 from 29 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 214 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in physical medicine & rehabilitation. 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. Lau 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.

✓ 20 years in practice ▲ 391 Medicare services $3,534 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
391
Medicare services
Bottom 20% in CA for physical medicine & rehabilitation
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
127
Unique beneficiaries
$87
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~20 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
Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes
A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes.
168 $76 $150
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.
123 $80 $160
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.
84 $113 $230
Telephone medical discussion, 21-30 minutes
A telephone conversation with a physician lasting between 21 and 30 minutes. This code covers the time spent discussing medical matters over the phone.
16 $112 $200
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 ↗
$3,534
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $505/year across 7 years
Top 15% in CA for physical medicine & rehabilitation
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
29
Companies
214
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
$3,534 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$174
2023
$235
2022
$479
2021
$456
2020
$369
2019
$501
2018
$1,319

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$103
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$41
Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$15
Braeburn Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 91.4% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$863
Indivior Inc.
$496
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$279
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$255
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$202
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$174
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$161
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$160
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$146
Amgen Inc.
$101
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$95
PFIZER INC.
$83
Eisai Inc.
$70
Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
$68
BIODELIVERY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
$57
IBSA Pharma Inc.
$41
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$40
ASSERTIO THERAPEUTICS, Inc.
$34
Kaleo, Inc.
$27
Vertical Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$25
US WorldMeds, LLC
$24
ABBVIE INC.
$24
Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.
$19
Shionogi Inc
$19
Orexo US, Inc.
$16
Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$15
Braeburn Inc.
$15
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$13
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 46.4% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Amitiza · BELBUCA · BEVESPI AEROSPHERE · BRIXADI · BUNAVAIL 2.1 mg 30-count box · Belbuca · CHANTIX · DUEXIS · Dayvigo · EVZIO · Evzio · Gralise · LORZONE · LUCEMYRA · LYRICA · Licart · Lucemyra/Lofexidine · METHYLPHENIDATE 72 · MONOVISC · MOVANTIK · Morphabond ER · PENNSAID · RAYOS · RELISTOR ORAL · SEGLENTIS · SUBLOCADE · SUBOXONE SUBLINGUAL FILM · SYMPROIC · Seglentis · Symproic · Tlando · Trintellix · UBRELVY · XTAMPZA · XTAMPZAER · Xtampza ER · XtampzaER · ZOHYDRO ER · ZTLido · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH · Zipsor · Zubsolv
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 physical medicine & rehabilitation specialist in San Francisco?
Compare physical medicine & rehabilitations in the San Francisco area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse physical medicine & rehabilitations nearby

Geographic Context

Physical medicine & rehabilitations within 10 mi
157
Per 100K population
18.8
County median income
$141,446
Nearest hospital
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CTR-DAVIES CAMPUS HOSP
1.2 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. Lau is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 15% of CA peers, with 20 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. Lau experienced with telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Lau performed 168 telephone medical discussion, 11-20 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. Lau receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Lau received a total of $3,534 from 29 companies across 214 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. Lau's costs compare to other physical medicine & rehabilitations in San Francisco?
Dr. Lau's average Medicare payment per service is $87. 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. Lau) 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 →