Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Benjamin Yim, M.D.
Neurological Surgery · Walnut Creek, 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. Yim 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. Yim
Dr. Benjamin Yim is a neurological surgery specialist in Walnut Creek, CA, with 11 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Yim performed 645 Medicare services across 545 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Yim received a total of $32,826 from 23 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 170 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. 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. Yim 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.
✓ 11 years in practice
▲ Top 17% volume in CA
$32,826 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗645
Medicare services
Top 17% in CA for neurological surgery
545
Unique beneficiaries
$162
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~59 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
98 | $81 | $325 |
| Ultrasound guidance for blood vessel access Use of ultrasound imaging to help locate and access a blood vessel. This guidance assists healthcare providers in performing procedures such as inserting IV lines or drawing blood. |
72 | $12 | $130 |
| 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. |
56 | $119 | $460 |
| Intracranial artery catheter insertion A radiologist inserts a tube into an artery in the brain for diagnostic or treatment purposes. |
51 | $219 | $1,561 |
| 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. |
46 | $150 | $585 |
| Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older. |
44 | $11 | $172 |
| Neck artery catheter insertion with radiology review A tube is inserted into an artery in the neck for diagnostic or treatment purposes. A radiologist reviews the procedure. |
39 | $263 | $1,527 |
| Brain artery catheterization A tube is inserted into an artery in the brain for diagnosis or treatment, with review by a radiologist. |
37 | $242 | $1,681 |
| 3D radiographic procedure with computerized image postprocessing A radiographic imaging procedure that creates three-dimensional images using computerized processing of the captured data. |
37 | $34 | $275 |
| Blood vessel imaging Imaging test to visualize the blood vessels. |
27 | $77 | $368 |
| Occlusion of central nervous system or spinal cord artery | 24 | $913 | $5,024 |
| Radiologist review of image for embolization A radiologist reviews medical images to guide the insertion of material designed to block blood flow. |
24 | $61 | $1,144 |
| 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. |
24 | $100 | $397 |
| 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. |
15 | $152 | $779 |
| Head artery clot removal and dissolution A procedure to remove a blood clot from an artery in the head and inject medication to dissolve remaining clots, guided by fluoroscopy. |
14 | $692 | $4,632 |
| Arterial catheter insertion in neck A tube is inserted into an artery in the neck for diagnostic or treatment purposes. A radiologist reviews the procedure. |
13 | $111 | $657 |
| 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 | $114 | $519 |
| Neck artery stent insertion with clot protection A procedure to place a stent in a neck artery to keep it open, using a device to protect against blood clots during the process. A radiologist reviews the procedure. |
11 | $681 | $4,734 |
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.
23.4% high complexity
15.3% medium
61.2% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$32,826
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $4,689/year across 7 years
Top 18% in CA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
23
Companies
170
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
$15,364 (46.8%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$11,834 (36.1%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$5,628 (17.1%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$18,985
2023
$6,135
2022
$2,864
2021
$741
2020
$794
2019
$1,776
2018
$1,531
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Penumbra, Inc.
$5,628
QAPEL MEDICAL INC
$4,275
Rapid Medical Ltd
$3,676
MicroVention, Inc.
$2,974
Imperative Care, Inc
$2,172
Stryker Corporation
$168
Medtronic, Inc.
$44
Abbott Laboratories
$24
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$24
Top 3 companies account for 71.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
QAPEL MEDICAL INC
$8,158
MicroVention, Inc.
$6,354
Penumbra, Inc.
$6,285
Rapid Medical Ltd
$3,877
Imperative Care, Inc
$2,747
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$1,093
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,007
Stryker Corporation
$936
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$724
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$337
Merit Medical Systems Inc
$281
NuVasive, Inc.
$233
Balt USA, LLC
$149
Viz.ai, Inc.
$132
Radius Health, Inc.
$120
Genentech USA, Inc.
$114
Augmedics Inc.
$86
Aesculap, Inc.
$51
Abbott Laboratories
$49
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$28
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$24
ZIMVIE INC.
$20
Monteris Medical Corporation
$19
Top 3 companies account for 63.4% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
103CM · AESCULAP · ANTERALIGN SPINAL SYSTEM WITH TITAN NANOLOCK SURFACE TECHNOLOGY · ARTIS icono biplane · Activase · Artemis · BALLOON CATHETER · Benchmark · Biomet SpinalPak · CATALYST · CD HORIZON SPINAL SYSTEM · EMBOTRAP · EMBOTRAP II Revascularization Device · ERIC RETRIEVAL DEVICE · EVOLVE · FUSE · HEADWAY ADVANCED SOFT · INFINITY OCCIPITOCERVICAL UPPER THORACIC SYSTEM · LVIS JUNIOR · M.BLUE · Mazor X Stealth Edition · NA · Neuroblate · Ortho Pak 2 · PERCLOSE PROSTYLE · PIPELINE · Penumbra Coil 400 · Penumbra System · Pipeline · Prelude Ideal Hydrophilic Sheath Introducer · RED 72 · RIST · React · Rist-5F · SOFIA 6F-131CM STR · SOLITAIRE X · STENT · SURPASS · SURPASS EVOLVE · SYNCHRO · Smart Coil · Solitaire · TARGET · TIGERTRIEVER 17 REVASCULARIZATION DEVICE · TLIF · TRUFILL · TUBING KIT - STROKE · Tymlos · Virage · Vital · Viz.AI LVO · WEB · WEB ANEURYSM EMBOLIZATION SYSTEM · XLIF · Xvision · ZOOM 88-T LARGE DISTAL PLATFORM · ZOOM RDL RADIAL ACCESS SYSTEM · ZOOM REPERFUSION CATHETER · mild Device Kit
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
Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
48
Per 100K population
4.1
County median income
$125,727
Nearest hospital
JOHN MUIR MEDICAL CENTER - WALNUT CREEK CAMPUS
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. Yim is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 17% in CA), with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 18% of CA peers.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Yim experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Yim performed 98 office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 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. Yim receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Yim received a total of $32,826 from 23 companies across 170 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. Yim's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Walnut Creek?
Dr. Yim's average Medicare payment per service is $162. 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. Yim) 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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