Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Carlos Untal, M.D.
Interventional Pain Medicine Physician · San Luis Obispo, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
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. Untal 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. Untal?
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What this data tells you about Dr. Untal
Dr. Carlos Untal is an interventional pain medicine physician in San Luis Obispo, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Untal performed 5,580 Medicare services across 1,714 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Untal received a total of $11,516 from 38 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 421 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in interventional pain medicine physician. 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. Untal 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
▲ Top 11% volume in CA
$11,516 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗5,580
Medicare services
Top 11% in CA for interventional pain medicine physician
1,714
Unique beneficiaries
$89
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~279 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
1,653 | $73 | $195 |
| 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. |
1,190 | $100 | $450 |
| Drug screening test A laboratory test that uses a chemistry analyzer to detect the presence of drugs in a sample. |
707 | $61 | $550 |
| 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. |
280 | $79 | $800 |
| Compounded drug, not otherwise classified A medication prepared specifically for an individual patient by a pharmacist or physician, tailored to meet unique needs that cannot be fulfilled by commercially available products. |
278 | $221 | $22,581 |
| Spinal drug pump reprogramming and refill A physician electronically adjusts the settings of a spinal drug infusion pump and refills its medication reservoir. |
258 | $79 | $415 |
| Ultrasound guidance for needle placement Use of ultrasound imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
256 | $49 | $600 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the lower or sacral spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
174 | $104 | $2,345 |
| Sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a sacral spine nerve root. The procedure uses imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
110 | $109 | $2,330 |
| Spinal injection with imaging guidance A procedure where medication is injected into the middle or upper part of the spinal canal. Imaging technology is used to guide the needle to the correct location. |
104 | $83 | $1,612 |
| Additional sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into an additional sacral spine nerve root level, guided by imaging. |
103 | $50 | $1,450 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging guidance An injection into a lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance for the second level treated. |
102 | $60 | $1,753 |
| 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. |
76 | $130 | $376 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint A procedure to destroy nerves in a single lower or sacral spinal facet joint using imaging guidance to target pain signals. |
58 | $229 | $2,622 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
49 | $13 | $195 |
| Electronic analysis and reprogramming of spinal drug pump This procedure involves electronically analyzing and reprogramming a spinal canal drug infusion pump. It does not include the surgical insertion or removal of the device. |
41 | $34 | $870 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the upper or middle spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
38 | $123 | $1,721 |
| Injection of anesthetic or steroid into sacroiliac joint with imaging guidance This procedure involves injecting an anesthetic or steroid medication into the joint connecting the lower spine and hip bone. Imaging guidance is used to ensure accurate placement of the injection. |
34 | $87 | $1,535 |
| Spinal neurostimulator electrode insertion A procedure to place an electrode array into the spine through the skin. The electrode is used to deliver electrical stimulation to the nervous system. |
29 | $253 | $3,750 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging An injection into a second spinal facet joint in the upper or middle spine, guided by imaging to ensure accurate placement. |
24 | $70 | $1,664 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy the nerves supplying a single upper or middle spinal facet joint. It is performed to interrupt pain signals from that specific joint. |
16 | $200 | $2,419 |
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 ↗$11,516
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,645/year across 7 years
Top 16% in CA for interventional pain medicine physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
38
Companies
421
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
$11,516 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$3,196
2023
$1,970
2022
$926
2021
$1,509
2020
$1,029
2019
$1,507
2018
$1,380
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic, Inc.
$2,679
Boston Scientific Corporation
$360
Abbott Laboratories
$96
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$31
AppliedVR Inc
$16
Avanos Medical
$14
Top 3 companies account for 98.1% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medtronic, Inc.
$5,698
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$2,345
Boston Scientific Corporation
$816
Abbott Laboratories
$401
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$295
Vertiflex, Inc.
$228
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$152
Baudax Bio Inc.
$139
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$139
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$116
Amgen Inc.
$99
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$90
Avanos Medical
$69
Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.
$67
BAUDAX BIO INC.
$63
SI-BONE, Inc.
$61
PFIZER INC.
$61
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$60
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$60
Forte Bio-Pharma LLC
$58
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$47
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$47
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$45
BIODELIVERY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
$44
Allergan, Inc.
$39
Nevro Corp.
$34
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$32
Almatica Pharma LLC
$28
TerSera Therapeutics LLC
$27
Lilly USA, LLC
$24
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$20
Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
$20
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$19
Allergan Inc.
$18
AppliedVR Inc
$16
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$16
AbbVie Inc.
$14
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 76.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCURIAN · ADAPTIVESTIM · AIMOVIG · AJOVY · ANJESO · ASCENDA · Accurian · Aimovig · Amitiza · BELBUCA · BOTOX · BUNAVAIL 2.1 mg 30-count box · EMGALITY · ETERNA · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - THERAPIES · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERATOR · GENVISC 850 SODIUM HYALURONATE · GRALISE · Gralise · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Intracept · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · KYPHON EXPRESS II KYPHOPAK TRAY · LYRICA · MONOVISC · MOVANTIK · Morphabond ER · NALOCET · ORTHOVISC · Octrode SCS Leads · PRIMEADVANCED SURESCAN · PROCLAIM · Prialt · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · Qutenza · RELISTOR · RESTORE · RESTORESENSORSURESCAN · REYVOW · RelieVRx · SUPERION · SYMPROIC · SYNCHROMED · SYNCHROMEDII · Senza · Superion · Superion ISS · Superion Indirect Decompression System · TARGETSTIM · TROKENDI XR · UBRELVY · VANTA ADAPTIVESTIM · ZOHYDRO ER · ZTLido · Zipsor · iFuse Implant · mild Device Kit
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.
Geographic Context
Interventional pain medicine physicians within 10 mi
1
Per 100K population
0.4
County median income
$93,398
Nearest hospital
ADVENTIST HEALTH SIERRA VISTA
0.0 mi
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. Untal is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 11% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 16% 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. Untal experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Untal performed 1,653 office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 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. Untal receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Untal received a total of $11,516 from 38 companies across 421 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. Untal's costs compare to other interventional pain medicine physicians in San Luis Obispo?
Dr. Untal's average Medicare payment per service is $89. 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. Untal) 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.
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