Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Robert Castro, DO

Family Medicine · Santa Ana, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
2621 S BRISTOL ST, Santa Ana, CA 92704
7147541684
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1285777813 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. Castro 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. Castro? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Castro

Dr. Robert Castro is a family medicine specialist in Santa Ana, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Castro performed 1,023 Medicare services across 753 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Castro received a total of $5,188 from 29 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 203 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in family medicine. 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. Castro 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 22% volume in CA $5,188 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,023
Medicare services
Top 22% in CA for family medicine
753
Unique beneficiaries
$86
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~54 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 (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.
324 $94 $337
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity
Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
156 $95 $321
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead
A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report.
153 $11 $53
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.
113 $117 $513
Echocardiogram, transthoracic
An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function.
99 $161 $733
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.
55 $138 $613
Continuous external EKG monitoring, 48 hours to 7 days
This procedure involves recording the heart's electrical activity continuously using an external device for a period exceeding 48 hours but not more than 7 days.
25 $8 $74
Continuous EKG monitoring review, 48-7 days
Review and interpretation of continuous external EKG recordings lasting more than 48 hours up to 7 days.
20 $19 $88
Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG
A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review.
19 $56 $241
2-day continuous ECG with professional review
A two-day continuous electrocardiogram recording that includes a review by a healthcare professional.
15 $14 $84
Heart muscle strain imaging 15 $9 $50
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.
15 $140 $450
2-day continuous ECG monitoring
A continuous electrocardiogram recording that captures heart activity over a 48-hour period. This test helps detect irregular heart rhythms or other cardiac issues that may not appear during a standard, short-term ECG.
14 $13 $90
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.
9.7% high complexity
3.3% medium
87.0% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$5,188
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $741/year across 7 years
Top 8% in CA for family medicine
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
29
Companies
203
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
$5,188 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,465
2023
$563
2022
$918
2021
$722
2020
$638
2019
$676
2018
$206

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boston Scientific Corporation
$238
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$162
Abbott Laboratories
$159
Inari Medical, Inc.
$154
ABIOMED
$130
PFIZER INC.
$124
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$104
CORDIS US CORP.
$91
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$84
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$78
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$45
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$38
Philips North America LLC
$24
Amgen Inc.
$19
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$15
Top 3 companies account for 38.2% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Boston Scientific Corporation
$957
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$430
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$404
Abbott Laboratories
$361
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$286
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$274
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$238
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$238
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$186
ABIOMED
$171
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$162
Inari Medical, Inc.
$154
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
$151
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$141
PFIZER INC.
$124
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$109
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$98
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$98
CORDIS US CORP.
$91
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$87
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$78
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$75
Chiesi USA, Inc.
$66
Medtronic, Inc.
$61
Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
$49
CHIESI USA, INC.
$41
Philips North America LLC
$24
Amgen Inc.
$19
Preventice Services, LLC
$14
Top 3 companies account for 34.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(BR3) Coronary Other · ACCOLADE · ACCOLADE SR · AMBISOME · ANDEXXA · Arcalyst · Azure · BG Mini Plus · CAMZYOS · COROFLOW · CT THROMBECTOMY SYSTEM KIT · CareLink · Cresemba · Diamondback Coronary · Diamondback Peripheral · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · ELIQUIS · EMBLEM · ENTRESTO · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · FARXIGA · FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL - THERAPIES · General - Brady · General - Therapies · INFINITI · Impella · JARDIANCE · KENGREAL · KENGREAL 50MG/10ML L · LATITUDE · LATITUDE Communicator Power Supply · LEQVIO · LUX DX · LUX-DX · LUX-Dx Insertable Cardiac Monitor · Lexiscan · LifeVest · MICRA · MULTAQ · MYNX CONTROL · Merlin Connectivity and Remote · Micra · Mitra Clip system · MyCareLink · PRESSUREWIRE · PROCLAIM · PRODIGY · RESONATE · RESONATE EL ICD VR · Repatha · S · Shockwave IVL System with the Shockwave C2 Coronary IVL Catheter · VERQUVO · VYNDAQEL · XARELTO · XIENCE SKYPOINT
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. Total industry engagement is in the top 8% for family medicine in CA.

Looking for a family medicine specialist in Santa Ana?
Compare family medicine physicians in the Santa Ana area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Family medicine physicians within 10 mi
2,477
Per 100K population
78.3
County median income
$113,702
Nearest hospital
COASTAL COMMUNITIES HOSPITAL
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. Castro is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 22% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 8% of CA peers, 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. Castro experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Castro performed 324 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. Castro receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Castro received a total of $5,188 from 29 companies across 203 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. Castro's costs compare to other family medicine physicians in Santa Ana?
Dr. Castro's average Medicare payment per service is $86. 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. Castro) 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 →