Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Helena Nguyen, O.D.

Optometrist · Santa Clara, CA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
3480 EL CAMINO REAL, Santa Clara, CA 95051
4082475102
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1265581623 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. Nguyen 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. Nguyen? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Nguyen

Dr. Helena Nguyen is an optometrist in Santa Clara, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Nguyen performed 146 Medicare services across 131 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Nguyen received a total of $2,053 from 12 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 31 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optometrist. 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. Nguyen 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 50% volume in CA $2,053 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
146
Medicare services
Top 50% in CA for optometrist
131
Unique beneficiaries
$47
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~8 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
Retinal photography (fundus photo)
This procedure involves taking photographs of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It is used to document the condition of the eye's interior structures.
 34 $30 $125
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient
A comprehensive examination of the visual system performed for a patient who has previously been seen by the provider.
 32 $82 $129
Visual field test, intermediate
A test that measures your side vision to check for blind spots or other vision changes.
 32 $42 $125
Eye photography
Photographic imaging of the interior structures of the eye.
 31 $20 $125
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.
 17 $72 $125
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 ↗
$2,053
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $293/year across 7 years
Top 19% in CA for optometrist
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
12
Companies
31
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
$2,053 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$146
2023
$160
2022
$162
2021
$208
2020
$153
2019
$366
2018
$859

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS INC.
$117
ABBVIE INC.
$29
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
$823
Shire North American Group Inc
$269
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$258
Allergan Inc.
$238
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$125
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS INC.
$117
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$102
Allergan, Inc.
$36
ABBVIE INC.
$29
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$24
ABB Con-Cise Optical Group LLC
$19
Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 65.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Acuvue · CEQUA · Contact Lens · LUMIGAN · RESTASIS · RESTASIS MULTIDOSE · TEPEZZA · TYRVAYA · XIIDRA · iDesign Advanced Wavescan Studio
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.

Looking for an optometrist in Santa Clara?
Compare optometrists in the Santa Clara area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse optometrists nearby

Geographic Context

Optometrists within 10 mi
826
Per 100K population
43.4
County median income
$159,674
Nearest hospital
KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITAL-SANTA CLARA
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. Nguyen is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 19% 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. Nguyen experienced with retinal photography (fundus photo)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Nguyen performed 34 retinal photography (fundus photo) 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. Nguyen receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Nguyen received a total of $2,053 from 12 companies across 31 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. Nguyen's costs compare to other optometrists in Santa Clara?
Dr. Nguyen's average Medicare payment per service is $47. 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. Nguyen) 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.

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 →