Dr. Nu Chai, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Chai
Dr. Nu Chai is an interventional pain medicine physician in San Francisco, CA, with 15 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Chai performed 323 Medicare services across 206 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Chai received a total of $25,475 from 8 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 55 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in interventional pain medicine 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. Chai 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
112 | $118 | $773 |
| Ultrasound guidance for needle placement Use of ultrasound imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
61 | $25 | $175 |
| 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. |
45 | $80 | $577 |
| Trigger point injection, 3 or more muscles Injection of medication into three or more specific muscle trigger points to relieve pain. |
39 | $26 | $358 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 26 | $151 | $1,085 |
| 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. |
25 | $55 | $615 |
| 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. |
15 | $86 | $1,636 |
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 (97%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in interventional pain medicine physician and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 10% for interventional pain medicine physician 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. Chai is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 10% 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
Is Dr. Chai experienced with office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)?
Does Dr. Chai receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Chai's costs compare to other interventional pain medicine physicians in San Francisco?
What does Data Coverage mean?
Is this data up to date?
Explore related providers
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