Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Steven Sawelson, MD

Nephrology · Torrance, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
20911 EARL ST, Torrance, CA 90503
3105427997
Registered in NPPES since 2006
NPI: 1740354034 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. Sawelson 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. Sawelson

Dr. Steven Sawelson is a nephrology specialist in Torrance, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Sawelson performed 1,143 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Sawelson received a total of $5,587 from 34 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 245 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly reported through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their effect on care. A reliable breakdown by payment category is not available in this snapshot. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Sawelson 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 of NPI registration ▲ 1,143 Medicare services $5,587 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary — 2023

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,143
Medicare services
Bottom 44% in CA for nephrology
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$104
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →

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.
409 $79 $209
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.
162 $66 $132
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.
161 $100 $191
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.
133 $60 $143
Annual wellness visit, follow-up
A follow-up annual wellness visit that includes a personalized prevention plan of service.
79 $139 $324
Dialysis services for patients 20 or older
Dialysis treatment provided to patients aged 20 years or older, involving four or more physician visits per month.
67 $298 $523
Dialysis services for adults, 2-3 visits per month
This code covers dialysis services for patients aged 20 or older who have 2 to 3 physician visits per month.
40 $248 $442
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.
31 $139 $400
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.
21 $145 $373
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 14 $162 $393
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.
13 $12 $35
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.
13 $109 $253
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. These counts do not measure clinical quality or years of experience.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$5,587
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $798/year across 7 years
Top 18% in CA for nephrology
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
34
Companies
245
Payment records
Payments are publicly reported; disclosure does not establish legality · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →

Payment categories are unavailable while the source breakdown is being rebuilt. Company and year totals do not identify how much belongs to each category.

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$838
2023
$755
2022
$1,379
2021
$499
2020
$633
2019
$792
2018
$690

Payments by company (2024)

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$226
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$167
AKEBIA THERAPEUTICS INC
$101
CALLIDITAS THERAPEUTICS US INC.
$61
Ardelyx, Inc.
$47
Lilly USA, LLC
$42
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$38
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$37
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$30
Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc.
$28
Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.
$24
Amgen Inc.
$21
Travere Therapeutics, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 58.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$764
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$585
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$576
GastroKlenz, Inc. DBA CloudCath
$400
Amgen Inc.
$317
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$299
Relypsa, Inc.
$233
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$232
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$224
Lilly USA, LLC
$219
Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc.
$196
AKEBIA THERAPEUTICS INC
$177
CALLIDITAS THERAPEUTICS US INC.
$139
Vifor Pharma, Inc.
$129
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$115
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$113
Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.
$99
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$77
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$75
Novo Nordisk Inc
$72
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$66
Mallinckrodt LLC
$64
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
$62
OPKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$57
Ardelyx, Inc.
$47
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$44
Horizon Pharma plc
$40
Valeritas, Inc.
$38
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$28
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$22
Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc.
$22
Exeltis, USA Inc.
$20
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$18
Travere Therapeutics, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 34.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · AFINITOR · AURYXIA · Aimovig · Auryxia · BENLYSTA · EMGALITY · Edarbi · FARXIGA · IBSRELA · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · JYNARQUE · KRYSTEXXA · Kerendia · LOKELMA · LUPKYNIS · Livalo · Otezla · Ozempic · PURIFIED CORTROPHIN GEL · Parsabiv · Prolia · RAYALDEE · Rayaldee · Repatha · Rybelsus · SYMBICORT · TARPEYO · TRADJENTA · TRULICITY · Trintellix · V-GO · Vafseo · Vascepa · Velphoro · Veltassa
Should you be concerned? Industry payments are disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their purpose, legality, or effect on care. 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 →
Looking for a nephrology specialist in Torrance?
Compare nephrologists in the Torrance area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse nephrologists nearby

Geographic Context

Nephrologists in nearby ZIP areas
338
County median income
$87,760
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
PROVIDENCE LITTLE COMPANY OF MARY MED CTR TORRANCE
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPES NPPES snapshot; verify current record
Medicare Enrollment PECOS PECOS snapshot
Practice Data Medicare Util. Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open Payments CY 2024
Disciplinary History — Not included 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. Sawelson is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, 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. Sawelson experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Sawelson performed 409 office visit, established patient (30-39 min) services. These records cover Medicare fee-for-service activity, including eligible younger beneficiaries; they do not measure total practice volume or clinical quality.
Does Dr. Sawelson receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Sawelson received a total of $5,587 from 34 companies across 245 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their legality or effect on care. 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. Sawelson's costs compare to other nephrologists in Torrance?
Dr. Sawelson's average Medicare payment per service is $104. 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. Sawelson) 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 the presence of registry, enrollment, activity or payment records, not verified experience or clinical quality. 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?
Source publication dates and the snapshots loaded on this site can differ. Rebuilding a page does not refresh its source records. Check the Medicare reporting year and the payment interval shown above; consult the linked official sources for newer releases and current registry details. See our data freshness policy →
About this page

This page combines public CMS records with calculated summaries and explanatory procedure labels. These transformations are not verbatim federal records. Sources: 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. Industry payment disclosure alone establishes neither wrongdoing nor legality. 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 →