Dr. Robert Santa-Cruz, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Santa-Cruz
Dr. Robert Santa-Cruz is an urology physician in Palm Harbor, FL, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Santa-Cruz performed 824 Medicare services across 714 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Santa-Cruz received a total of $71,267 from 46 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 363 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urology physician. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Santa-Cruz is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. This is not a quality rating. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cystourethroscopy A diagnostic exam of the bladder and urethra using an endoscope to visually inspect the urinary tract. |
197 | $54 | $732 |
| 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 | $43 | $266 |
| Additional urethral implant in prostate Placement of an additional implant into the urethra within the prostate gland using an endoscope. |
76 | $38 | $173 |
| 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. |
76 | $68 | $374 |
| 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. |
45 | $92 | $488 |
| Prostate gland biopsy A procedure to remove small samples of tissue from the prostate gland for laboratory examination. |
36 | $91 | $730 |
| Cystoscopy with chemical ablation of bladder A procedure where a camera is used to examine the bladder and a chemical agent is applied to destroy abnormal tissue. |
29 | $122 | $1,197 |
| 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. |
28 | $52 | $330 |
| Surgical removal of prostate and lymph nodes This procedure involves the surgical removal of the prostate gland and surrounding lymph nodes using an endoscope. |
26 | $797 | $4,472 |
| Transrectal ultrasound of the pelvis An ultrasound imaging procedure where a probe is inserted into the rectum to visualize pelvic structures. |
25 | $24 | $130 |
| Endoscopic removal of pelvic lymph nodes, bilateral A surgical procedure to remove lymph nodes from both sides of the pelvis using an endoscope. This minimally invasive technique involves making small incisions to access and excise the tissue. |
24 | $261 | $2,288 |
| Endoscopic removal of foreign body, stone, or stent from urethra or bladder A procedure to remove a foreign object, stone, or stent from the urethra or bladder using an endoscope. The endoscope is a thin tube with a camera inserted into the urinary tract to locate and extract the item. |
22 | $113 | $974 |
| Urethral implant insertion in prostate A single implant is placed into the urethra within the prostate gland using an endoscope. |
20 | $137 | $688 |
| Ureteral stone crushing with stent insertion An endoscope is used to break up a stone in the ureter, followed by the placement of a stent to keep the ureter open. |
19 | $329 | $1,420 |
| 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. |
19 | $546 | $2,042 |
| Sacral nerve stimulator electrode insertion A procedure to place an electrode array in the sacral area to deliver electrical stimulation to the nerves. |
19 | $247 | $3,037 |
| 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. |
16 | $82 | $1,523 |
| Partial kidney removal using endoscope Surgical removal of part of the kidney through a small incision using an endoscope. This minimally invasive technique allows for targeted tissue removal without large open incisions. |
15 | $998 | $4,177 |
| Insertion of peripheral or gastric neurostimulator generator A surgical procedure to implant the pulse generator device for a neurostimulator system. The generator is placed under the skin to deliver electrical impulses to nerves or the stomach. |
12 | $61 | $753 |
| Ultrasound guidance for needle placement Use of ultrasound imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
11 | $24 | $121 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 11-20 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 11 and 20 minutes. |
11 | $51 | $269 |
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)
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
The majority of payments (70%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in urology physician and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 4% for urology physician in FL.
Geographic Context
5.0 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 measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Santa-Cruz is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 4% of FL peers, with 19 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Santa-Cruz experienced with cystourethroscopy?
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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. The Transparency Score measures 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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