Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Alexandra Lajoie, M.D.
Cardiovascular Disease · Santa Monica, CA
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice
— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Speaking/Promotional
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. Lajoie 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Lajoie
Dr. Alexandra Lajoie is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Santa Monica, CA, with 16 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Lajoie performed 9,277 Medicare services across 1,635 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Lajoie received a total of $8,524 from 31 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 199 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Lajoie 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.
✓ 16 years in practice
▲ Top 7% volume in CA
$8,524 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗9,277
Medicare services
Top 7% in CA for cardiovascular disease
1,635
Unique beneficiaries
$24
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~580 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inclisiran injection (Leqvio) for cholesterol | 7,384 | $9 | $34 |
| 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. |
402 | $101 | $619 |
| 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. |
288 | $12 | $132 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
227 | $173 | $999 |
| Heart muscle strain imaging | 162 | $34 | $189 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
120 | $170 | $986 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
102 | $77 | $439 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 5-10 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 5 and 10 minutes to discuss medical matters. |
92 | $48 | $275 |
| 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. |
57 | $68 | $371 |
| 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. |
44 | $128 | $801 |
| EKG interpretation and report A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report. |
39 | $7 | $38 |
| Continuous EKG monitoring review, 48-7 days Review and interpretation of continuous external EKG recordings lasting more than 48 hours up to 7 days. |
36 | $19 | $110 |
| 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. |
35 | $11 | $63 |
| COVID-19 amplified DNA/RNA probe detection A laboratory test that uses amplified DNA or RNA probes to detect the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) antigen. |
32 | $50 | $114 |
| 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. |
29 | $72 | $439 |
| 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. |
26 | $139 | $864 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle A procedure involving the administration of a medication or substance via injection into the subcutaneous tissue or muscle. |
25 | $13 | $70 |
| 2-day continuous ECG with review and report A two-day continuous electrocardiogram recording that includes a professional review and written report of the results. |
22 | $64 | $372 |
| Stress echocardiogram with ECG monitoring An ultrasound of the heart performed while monitoring heart rhythm during rest, exercise, or medication-induced stress, followed by a review and report of the findings. |
21 | $215 | $1,178 |
| 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. |
21 | $111 | $609 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound test that uses sound waves to create images of the heart's blood flow, valves, and chambers. |
19 | $47 | $257 |
| Echocardiogram with color Doppler An ultrasound of the heart that uses color imaging to visualize blood flow, measure flow rate, and assess valve function. |
19 | $22 | $325 |
| External EKG monitoring, 8-15 days Continuous external electrocardiogram recording and review over a period of 8 to 15 days to monitor heart rhythm. |
18 | $21 | $121 |
| 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. |
17 | $63 | $352 |
| Continuous external EKG monitoring, 8-15 days This procedure involves recording heart rhythm continuously using an external EKG device over a period of 8 to 15 days. |
17 | $10 | $63 |
| 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. |
12 | $149 | $814 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 11 | $193 | $1,055 |
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.
2.7% high complexity
83.5% medium
13.8% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$8,524
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,218/year across 7 years
Top 30% in CA for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
31
Companies
199
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.
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$4,677 (54.9%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$3,847 (45.1%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$442
2023
$492
2022
$2,377
2021
$2,604
2020
$293
2019
$816
2018
$1,500
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$94
Amgen Inc.
$79
Baxter Healthcare
$63
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$47
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$40
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$35
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$28
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$21
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$20
HEARTFLOW, INC.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 53.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
$4,698
Amgen Inc.
$777
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$774
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$541
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$253
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$240
Novo Nordisk Inc
$124
Lundbeck LLC
$124
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$83
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$81
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$78
NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
$74
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$68
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$65
Baxter Healthcare
$63
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$60
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$58
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$46
Allergan Inc.
$44
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$44
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$38
Bardy Diagnostics, Inc.
$36
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$27
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$20
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$18
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$17
HeartFlow, Inc.
$16
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$15
HEARTFLOW, INC.
$15
Abbott Laboratories
$14
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 73.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Arcalyst · BRILINTA · BYSTOLIC · CAMZYOS · Carnation Ambulatory Monitor · Corlanor · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · EVKEEZA · Edarbi · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · FFRct · FUROSCIX · IMFINZI · Inpefa · JARDIANCE · LEQVIO · LOKELMA · LifeVest · Mitra Clip system · NORTHERA · ONPATTRO · PERCLOT · PRALUENT · Repatha · Reveal LINQ · SAMSCA · Vascepa · XARELTO
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 (55%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in cardiovascular disease and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware.
Geographic Context
Cardiologists within 10 mi
555
Per 100K population
5.6
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
SANTA MONICA - UCLA MED CTR & ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL
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. Lajoie is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 7% in CA), with speaking/promotional industry engagement, with 16 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. Lajoie experienced with inclisiran injection (leqvio) for cholesterol?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Lajoie performed 7,384 inclisiran injection (leqvio) for cholesterol 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. Lajoie receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Lajoie received a total of $8,524 from 31 companies across 199 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. Lajoie's costs compare to other cardiologists in Santa Monica?
Dr. Lajoie's average Medicare payment per service is $24. 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. Lajoie) 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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