Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Tu-Hi Hong, M.D.

Urology Physician · Tulare, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
919 E MERRITT AVE, Tulare, CA 93274
5596860690
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1912089939 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. Hong 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. Hong? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Hong

Dr. Tu-Hi Hong is an urology physician in Tulare, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Hong performed 5,672 Medicare services across 2,563 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Hong received a total of $3,689 from 30 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 253 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urology physician. 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. Hong 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 17% volume in CA $3,689 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
5,672
Medicare services
Top 17% in CA for urology physician
2,563
Unique beneficiaries
$48
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~299 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
Manual urinalysis with microscopic examination
A urine test performed manually without automated equipment. The sample is examined under a microscope to check for abnormalities.
1,986 $4 $9
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.
1,684 $69 $100
Blood draw (venipuncture)
Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample.
533 $3 $3
Leuprolide acetate (for depot suspension), 7.5 mg 310 $131 $256
Subcutaneous or intramuscular chemotherapy injection
This procedure involves administering anti-cancer hormonal medication through an injection into the tissue under the skin or into a muscle.
267 $27 $49
Cystourethroscopy
A diagnostic exam of the bladder and urethra using an endoscope to visually inspect the urinary tract.
147 $196 $300
New patient office visit (30-44 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range.
143 $82 $136
Bladder ultrasound after voiding
An ultrasound scan performed after urination to measure the amount of urine remaining in the bladder.
105 $9 $25
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.
95 $11 $35
Complicated insertion of bladder tube 91 $122 $200
Electronic assessment of bladder emptying
A test that uses electronic monitoring to evaluate how well the bladder empties urine.
53 $6 $35
Non-needle muscle activity measurement of bladder and bowel openings
This procedure measures and records the electrical activity of muscles at the bladder and bowel openings without using needles.
53 $26 $110
Complex urodynamic pressure flow study
A test that measures the pressure of urine flow in the bladder during voiding to evaluate how well the bladder and urethra are functioning.
52 $308 $400
Transrectal ultrasound of the pelvis
An ultrasound imaging procedure where a probe is inserted into the rectum to visualize pelvic structures.
52 $113 $250
Simple insertion of temporary bladder tube
A procedure to place a temporary tube into the bladder. This allows for the drainage of urine from the bladder.
33 $47 $105
Prostate gland biopsy
A procedure to remove small samples of tissue from the prostate gland for laboratory examination.
26 $199 $278
Transurethral prostate removal with electrocautery
This procedure involves removing the prostate gland through the urethra using an endoscope and an electrocautery knife to control bleeding.
17 $574 $937
Shock wave crushing of kidney stones
A procedure that uses shock waves to break kidney stones into smaller pieces so they can pass more easily from the body.
13 $471 $875
Ureteral stent insertion via endoscope
A flexible tube is inserted into the ureter using an endoscope to keep the passage open and allow urine to flow from the kidney to the bladder.
12 $101 $239
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.
0.2% high complexity
9.6% medium
90.2% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$3,689
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $527/year across 7 years
Top 41% in CA for urology physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
30
Companies
253
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
$3,689 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$445
2023
$495
2022
$525
2021
$310
2020
$314
2019
$607
2018
$994

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$164
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$42
PFIZER INC.
$38
ABBVIE INC.
$34
Olympus America Inc.
$25
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$24
Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$23
KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America
$22
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$22
COLOPLAST CORP
$20
Teleflex LLC
$16
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$14
Top 3 companies account for 54.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$1,040
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$628
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$321
PFIZER INC.
$255
KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America
$214
AbbVie, Inc.
$130
Boston Scientific Corporation
$114
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$84
Photocure Inc
$82
AbbVie Inc.
$80
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$78
Allergan Inc.
$76
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$74
UROVANT SCIENCES INC
$64
ABBVIE INC.
$52
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$50
Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC
$42
Teleflex LLC
$42
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$41
PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation
$33
Avadel Specialty Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$30
Olympus America Inc.
$25
Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$23
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$22
COLOPLAST CORP
$20
Coloplast Corp
$19
TOLMAR Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$17
UROGEN PHARMA, INC.
$17
Myovant Sciences Inc.
$15
MEDIVATION FIELD SOLUTIONS LLC
$4
Top 3 companies account for 53.9% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
8.5 FR. X 675MM · ALTIS · AQUABEAM ROBOTIC SYSTEM · ASM · Androgel · BOTOX · BOTOX - UROLOGY · BOTOX THERAPEUTIC · BRIDGE · CCU · CE · CMOS VIDEO URETEROSCOPE · Cysview · DOM · Da Vinci Surgical System · ELIGARD · ERLEADA · GEMTESA · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL - ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION · H3-Z · HEAD · HIGH DEF · IMAGE 1 · IMAGE1 S · JELMYTO · LITHOVUE · LUPRON DEPOT · Lupron · Lupron Depot · MYRBETRIQ · Myrbetriq · NAVIGATOR · NOCDURNA · Noctiva · Nubeqa · ORGOVYX · PROVENGE · Porges Coloplast · REZUM · SDI · SOLYX BLUE · Solyx SIS System · TELESCOPE · TELESCOPE. W/2 INSTRU. · TOVIAZ · Trelstar · UROLIFT · VESICARE · VIAGRA · WITH 1 INSTRUMENT · XTANDI · XYOSTED · Xtandi · iTIND System · n.a.
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 urology physician in Tulare?
Compare urology physicians in the Tulare area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Urology physicians within 10 mi
7
Per 100K population
1.5
County median income
$69,489
Nearest hospital
ADVENTIST HEALTH TULARE
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. Hong is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 17% in CA), with low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Hong experienced with manual urinalysis with microscopic examination?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Hong performed 1,986 manual urinalysis with microscopic examination 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. Hong receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Hong received a total of $3,689 from 30 companies across 253 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. Hong's costs compare to other urology physicians in Tulare?
Dr. Hong's average Medicare payment per service is $48. 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. Hong) 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 →
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 →