Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Tarun Arora, MD

Neurological Surgery · San Francisco, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
DEPARTMENT OF NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143
4153537500
In practice since 2009 (17 years)
NPI: 1538308275 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. Arora 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. Arora? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Arora

Dr. Tarun Arora is a neurological surgery specialist in San Francisco, CA, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Arora performed 749 Medicare services across 489 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Arora received a total of $39,594 from 23 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 135 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. 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. Arora 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.

✓ 17 years in practice ▲ Top 13% volume in CA $39,594 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
749
Medicare services
Top 13% in CA for neurological surgery
489
Unique beneficiaries
$122
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~44 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
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service.
259 $71 $383
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.
76 $64 $393
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
74 $116 $723
Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an established patient with straightforward or low-level medical decision making. The visit requires at least 25 minutes of time spent on the day of service.
74 $43 $252
Spinal fusion of additional segment
A surgical procedure to join an additional section of the spine to the existing fusion. This is performed as a separate or subsequent step to stabilize more of the spinal column.
45 $311 $2,018
Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, each additional segment
This procedure involves the partial removal of spinal bone to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. It is billed for each additional spinal segment treated beyond the initial segment.
40 $164 $1,079
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
31 $43 $241
Emergency department visit, moderate complexity
An emergency department visit for an established or new patient involving a moderate level of medical decision making.
25 $101 $631
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.
22 $129 $867
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.
22 $98 $577
Computer-assisted brain procedure
A surgical or diagnostic procedure performed within the brain using computer technology to assist with precision and guidance.
16 $194 $1,216
Initial hospital admission, high complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
15 $156 $1,067
Use of operating microscope
Use of a specialized microscope during a surgical procedure to provide magnified visualization of the surgical site.
13 $179 $1,096
New patient office visit (30-44 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range.
13 $99 $575
Spinal fusion of neck, posterior approach
A surgical procedure to join two or more vertebrae in the cervical spine using a back approach to stabilize the neck.
12 $894 $6,925
Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments
Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back.
12 $602 $3,937
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.
7.6% high complexity
0.0% medium
92.4% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$39,594
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $5,656/year across 7 years
Top 16% in CA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
23
Companies
135
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.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$26,480 (66.9%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$9,718 (24.5%)
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$1,730 (4.4%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$1,666 (4.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$9,785
2023
$6,407
2022
$1,846
2021
$1,228
2020
$877
2019
$11,505
2018
$7,947

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
SPINEART USA INC
$8,925
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$330
Globus Medical, Inc.
$162
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
$107
Medtronic, Inc.
$106
Ceribell, Inc.
$58
Spineology Inc.
$40
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$32
Abbott Laboratories
$25
Top 3 companies account for 96.2% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Spineart USA Inc
$21,733
SPINEART USA INC
$10,540
Stryker Corporation
$2,134
Cerapedics, Inc.
$1,666
SPINEART SA
$1,313
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$444
Spineart SA
$417
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$330
Globus Medical, Inc.
$162
Zap Surgical Systems, Inc.
$110
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
$107
Spineology Inc.
$107
Medtronic, Inc.
$106
Integrity Implants Inc.
$87
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$82
Ceribell, Inc.
$58
SI-BONE, Inc.
$53
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$39
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$32
Abbott Laboratories
$25
LeMaitre Vascular, Inc.
$17
Lilly USA, LLC
$16
NuVasive, Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 86.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCS · ALEUTIAN ALIF · ANASTOCLIP GC 8CM (MEDIUM) · ANDEXXA · BRAINLAB · CODMAN CERTAS · CREO ADDITION · CURE ACP · DURASEAL EXACT · EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM · EVEREST XT · EXPEDIUM · FORTEO · IdentiTi · Invictus OPEN · KYPHON EXPRESS II KYPHOPAK TRAY · N/A · NAV - NAV3 NAVIGATION PLATFORM · NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT · OPTIMESH EXPANDABLE INTERBODY FUSION SYSTEM · PERLA C · PERLA C - OCCIPITAL FIXATION · PERLA TL · POCKET EEG DEVICE · POSTERIOR CERVICAL · PROCLAIM · Perla TL · RELINE · ROMEO 2 - CROSSLINK · SACRLET AC-T INSTRUMENTATION · SCARLET AL-T · SYMPHONY · Spinal-Stim · Spine & Trauma 3D Navigation · TRITANIUM · UNID_PASS · VIPER · XIA · YUKON · ZAP-X MV IMAGER · i-FACTOR Putty · iFuse Implant
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 →

The majority of payments (67%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.

Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in San Francisco?
Compare neurological surgerists in the San Francisco area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurological surgerists nearby

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. Arora is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 13% in CA), with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 16% of CA peers, with 17 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. Arora experienced with hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Arora performed 259 hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity 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. Arora receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Arora received a total of $39,594 from 23 companies across 135 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. Arora's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in San Francisco?
Dr. Arora's average Medicare payment per service is $122. 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. Arora) 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 →