Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Nicole Lee, O.D.

Optometrist · San Francisco, CA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
490 POST ST, San Francisco, CA 94102
4153924437
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1093857591 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. Lee 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. Lee? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Lee

Dr. Nicole Lee is an optometrist in San Francisco, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Lee performed 185 Medicare services across 150 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Lee received a total of $1,272 from 21 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 55 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optometrist. 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. Lee 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 43% volume in CA $1,272 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
185
Medicare services
Top 43% in CA for optometrist
150
Unique beneficiaries
$90
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~10 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
Eye exam, established patient, focused
A limited examination of the visual system for an existing patient. The provider focuses on a specific eye-related concern or symptom.
 99 $88 $160
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient
A comprehensive examination of the visual system performed for a patient who has previously been seen by the provider.
 54 $110 $235
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.
 18 $82 $137
Retinal photography (fundus photo)
This procedure involves taking photographs of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It is used to document the condition of the eye's interior structures.
 14 $37 $150
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 ↗
$1,272
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $182/year across 7 years
Top 30% in CA for optometrist
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
21
Companies
55
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
$1,272 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$353
2023
$214
2022
$289
2021
$130
2020
$19
2019
$120
2018
$147

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS INC.
$171
Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.
$67
SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INC.
$54
Harrow Eye, LLC
$22
Dompe US, Inc.
$21
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 82.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS INC.
$171
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$152
Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.
$150
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$127
Alcon Vision LLC
$86
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
$73
SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INC.
$72
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$64
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$55
TissueTech, Inc.
$51
Shire North American Group Inc
$42
Alcon Laboratories Inc
$36
ABBVIE INC.
$29
Optos, Inc.
$27
Harrow Eye, LLC
$22
OPTOS, INC.
$22
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$21
Dompe US, Inc.
$21
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$18
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$17
Sight Sciences, Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 37.1% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Acuvue · BROMSITE · CEQUA · CRYSTALENS · Cequa · Clareon · DAILIES · INVELTYS · NFC-700 · OXERVATE · P200DTx · Prokera · RYZUMVI · Systane · TEARCARE SYSTEM · TOTAL30 · TYRVAYA · Tecnis IOL · VERITAS Vision System · VEVYE · VUITY · VYZULTA · XDEMVY · XIIDRA
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 an optometrist in San Francisco?
Compare optometrists in the San Francisco area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse optometrists nearby

Geographic Context

Optometrists within 10 mi
1,031
Per 100K population
123.3
County median income
$141,446
Nearest hospital
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CENTER- VAN NESS CAMPUS
1.0 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. Lee is a mixed practice 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. Lee experienced with eye exam, established patient, focused?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Lee performed 99 eye exam, established patient, focused 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. Lee receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Lee received a total of $1,272 from 21 companies across 55 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. Lee's costs compare to other optometrists in San Francisco?
Dr. Lee's average Medicare payment per service is $90. 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. Lee) 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 →