Dr. Ronald Balassanian, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Balassanian
Dr. Ronald Balassanian is a pathology - anatomic specialist in San Francisco, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Balassanian performed 1,411 Medicare services across 961 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Balassanian received a total of $16,950 from 1 pharmaceutical and/or device company across 1 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pathology - anatomic. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Balassanian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tissue staining for diagnosis, additional An extra laboratory procedure to apply special stains to tissue slides for detailed examination. |
295 | $26 | $122 |
| Tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity A laboratory test where a pathologist examines tissue samples under a microscope to analyze cellular details. This intermediate complexity procedure involves specialized techniques to identify abnormalities in the tissue. |
196 | $34 | $242 |
| Cell examination with selective cellular enhancement A laboratory test that examines cells from a specimen using a technique to selectively enhance specific cellular features for detailed analysis. |
184 | $23 | $326 |
| Fine needle aspirate evaluation and report A pathologist examines cells collected via a fine needle aspiration and provides a written interpretation and report of the findings. |
167 | $63 | $353 |
| Fine needle aspirate evaluation A laboratory examination of cells collected via fine needle aspiration to assess for abnormalities. |
158 | $31 | $177 |
| Manual microscopic genetic analysis of tumor A laboratory test that uses a microscope to manually examine tumor tissue for genetic changes. |
88 | $38 | $496 |
| Tissue staining for diagnosis, initial A laboratory test where special stains are applied to tissue slides to help examine the cells and identify specific characteristics. |
83 | $32 | $180 |
| Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy, first lesion A biopsy procedure where a thin needle is used to collect tissue samples from a growth, guided by ultrasound imaging. This code applies to the first lesion or mass sampled during the session. |
55 | $59 | $616 |
| Cell examination of specimen, concentration technique A laboratory test that uses a concentration technique to examine cells from a specimen. |
38 | $20 | $212 |
| 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. |
35 | $119 | $932 |
| Special stain test for organisms A laboratory test using special stains on tissue slides to identify microorganisms. The process includes the technical preparation of the slides and a professional interpretation of the results. |
32 | $24 | $179 |
| Surgical pathology consultation on referred slides A pathologist reviews and reports on tissue slides that were prepared at another facility. This service provides a second opinion or expert analysis of the existing samples. |
17 | $76 | $298 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 17 | $162 | $1,153 |
| Fine needle aspiration biopsy, first growth A procedure using a thin needle to remove cells or fluid from a growth for examination. |
16 | $46 | $1,639 |
| Genetic sequencing localization, initial procedure This procedure involves the initial process of localizing genetic sequencing. It identifies the specific location of genetic material for further analysis. |
16 | $39 | $332 |
| Special tissue stain and interpretation A laboratory test using special stains to examine tissue samples, including the pathologist's review and written report of the findings. |
14 | $10 | $179 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2022 ↗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 (2022)
The majority of payments (100%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 8% for pathology - anatomic 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 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. Balassanian is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 8% 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
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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.
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