Dr. Walavan Sivakumar, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Sivakumar
Dr. Walavan Sivakumar is a neurological surgery specialist in Torrance, CA, with 15 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Sivakumar performed 926 Medicare services across 723 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Sivakumar received a total of $68,932 from 41 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 181 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Sivakumar 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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. |
312 | $108 | $619 |
| Critical care, first 30-74 min Emergency medical care for a critically ill or injured patient lasting between 30 and 74 minutes. This service involves direct patient care and medical decision making to stabilize the patient. |
139 | $177 | $990 |
| 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. |
87 | $66 | $371 |
| 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. |
81 | $101 | $558 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 65 | $179 | $1,055 |
| 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. |
48 | $111 | $609 |
| 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. |
33 | $56 | $439 |
| 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. |
32 | $149 | $814 |
| Intraoperative ultrasound guidance Use of ultrasound imaging during a surgical procedure to help guide the surgeon's actions. |
25 | $51 | $253 |
| 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. |
25 | $146 | $864 |
| Computer-assisted brain procedure A surgical or diagnostic procedure performed within the brain using computer technology to assist with precision and guidance. |
21 | $194 | $1,063 |
| 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. |
17 | $128 | $801 |
| Endoscopic brain scar tissue removal or cyst drainage A procedure using an endoscope to remove scar tissue or drain a cyst in the brain, which may involve inserting or removing a tube. |
14 | $576 | $6,678 |
| 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. |
14 | $50 | $191 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
13 | $8 | $17 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
The majority of payments (80%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.
Geographic Context
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. Sivakumar is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 10% in CA), with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 13% of CA peers, with 15 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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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