Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Joel Sach, M.D.
Gastroenterology · Tarzana, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Mixed 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. Sach 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. Sach
Dr. Joel Sach is a gastroenterology specialist in Tarzana, CA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Sach performed 10,835 Medicare services across 5,580 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Sach received a total of $21,863 from 42 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 399 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in gastroenterology. 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. Sach 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 1% volume in CA
$21,863 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗10,835
Medicare services
Top 1% in CA for gastroenterology
5,580
Unique beneficiaries
$73
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~542 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity A laboratory test where a pathologist examines tissue samples under a microscope to analyze cellular details. This intermediate complexity procedure involves specialized techniques to identify abnormalities in the tissue. |
3,045 | $31 | $150 |
| 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. |
2,789 | $106 | $250 |
| Special tissue stain and interpretation A laboratory test using special stains to examine tissue samples, including the pathologist's review and written report of the findings. |
1,100 | $10 | $100 |
| 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. |
700 | $131 | $343 |
| Special stain test for organisms A laboratory test using special stains on tissue slides to identify microorganisms. The process includes the technical preparation of the slides and a professional interpretation of the results. |
646 | $22 | $100 |
| Colonoscopy with biopsy A procedure to collect tissue samples from the large intestine using a flexible tube with a camera. The samples are examined to check for abnormalities or disease. |
501 | $91 | $1,500 |
| Upper GI endoscopy with biopsy A procedure to collect tissue samples from the esophagus, stomach, or upper small intestine using a flexible tube with a camera. The samples are examined to check for abnormalities. |
481 | $87 | $1,600 |
| 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. |
430 | $75 | $156 |
| Obesity behavioral counseling, 15 minutes A 15-minute face-to-face session focused on behavioral counseling to help manage obesity. |
343 | $27 | $75 |
| External hemorrhoid removal by rubber banding A procedure to remove external hemorrhoids using rubber bands to cut off blood supply. The affected tissue is tied off and eventually falls off. |
281 | $253 | $500 |
| Colon polyp removal with endoscopic snare This procedure removes polyps or growths from the large bowel using a flexible tube with a camera and a wire loop tool. The snare is used to cut off the growths during the examination. |
247 | $209 | $2,200 |
| Anoscopy A diagnostic exam of the anus using a thin, lighted tube called an endoscope to look inside. |
87 | $107 | $175 |
| Helicobacter pylori breath test A diagnostic test that analyzes a patient's breath to detect the presence of Helicobacter pylori bacteria. This procedure is used to identify infections associated with the stomach and upper digestive tract. |
78 | $66 | $200 |
| Helicobacter pylori drug administration This procedure involves the administration of a medication specifically used to treat Helicobacter pylori infection. |
78 | $8 | $50 |
| Endoscopy of digestive tract Imaging of the digestive tract performed from the inside using an endoscope. |
17 | $684 | $3,000 |
| 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 | $145 | $280 |
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 ↗$21,863
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $3,123/year across 7 years
Top 11% in CA for gastroenterology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
42
Companies
399
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
$10,344 (47.3%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$8,419 (38.5%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$3,100 (14.2%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$6,754
2023
$9,960
2022
$2,104
2021
$1,461
2020
$436
2019
$878
2018
$271
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$2,600
ABBVIE INC.
$1,015
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$674
Lilly USA, LLC
$579
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$444
Ardelyx, Inc.
$320
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$286
Celltrion USA Inc.
$231
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals
$163
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$107
IRONWOOD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
$104
Exact Sciences Corporation
$75
PFIZER INC.
$55
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$33
Echosens North America, Inc.
$31
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc
$19
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$16
Top 3 companies account for 63.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Evoke Pharma, Inc.
$8,270
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$2,600
ABBVIE INC.
$1,497
AbbVie Inc.
$1,446
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$1,156
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$996
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$709
Lilly USA, LLC
$579
Ardelyx, Inc.
$507
Shire North American Group Inc
$500
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$386
Amgen Inc.
$352
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$340
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$286
Celltrion USA Inc.
$231
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$215
Nestle HealthCare Nutrition Inc.
$189
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals
$163
Medtronic, Inc.
$131
IRONWOOD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
$127
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$120
GENZYME CORPORATION
$108
PFIZER INC.
$102
Exact Sciences Corporation
$94
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$90
Celgene Corporation
$78
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$78
Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$75
NESTLE HEALTHCARE NUTRITION INC.
$73
Boston Scientific Corporation
$61
AbbVie, Inc.
$57
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$40
Allergan Inc.
$32
Echosens North America, Inc.
$31
INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$27
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$24
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc
$19
Lucid Diagnostics Inc.
$17
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$16
Alfasigma USA, Inc.
$15
Digestive Care, Inc.
$15
Romark Laboratories, LC
$8
Top 3 companies account for 56.6% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AVSOLA · Alinia Tablets 500mg 30 count bottle · CREON · Cologuard Collection Kit · Creon · DIFICID · DUOPA · DUPIXENT · ENTYVIO · Entyvio · FibroScan · GENERAL POLYPECTOMY · GIMOTI · General - Polypectomy · HUMIRA · Humira · IBSRELA · INJECTAFER · LINZESS · Linzess · MAVYRET · MAZOR X SYSTEM · MOTEGRITY · MOVANTIK · Mavyret · Movantik · OCALIVA · OMVOH · PAXLOVID · Pertzye · REMICADE · RESMETIROM · REZDIFFRA · RINVOQ · SKYRIZI · STELARA · TREMFYA · TRULANCE · Talicia · VEGZELMA · VIBERZI · VOQUEZNA · XELJANZ · XIFAXAN · XIFAXANIBSD · ZENPEP · ZEPOSIA · ZYMFENTRA · Zelnorm · talicia
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 (47%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
Gastroenterologists within 10 mi
364
Per 100K population
3.7
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital
PROVIDENCE CEDARS SINAI TARZANA MEDICAL CENTER
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. Sach is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 1% in CA), with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 11% 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. Sach experienced with tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Sach performed 3,045 tissue pathology examination, 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. Sach receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Sach received a total of $21,863 from 42 companies across 399 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. Sach's costs compare to other gastroenterologists in Tarzana?
Dr. Sach's average Medicare payment per service is $73. 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. Sach) 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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