Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Ramon Espinal, MD
Interventional Pain Medicine Physician · Covington, GA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-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. Espinal 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. Espinal
Dr. Ramon Espinal is an interventional pain medicine physician in Covington, GA, with 21 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Espinal performed 637 Medicare services across 563 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Espinal received a total of $13,119 from 48 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 246 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in interventional pain medicine 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. Espinal 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.
✓ 21 years in practice
▲ 637 Medicare services
$13,119 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗637
Medicare services
Bottom 29% in GA for interventional pain medicine physician
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
563
Unique beneficiaries
$89
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~30 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 (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. |
193 | $95 | $323 |
| 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. |
167 | $68 | $280 |
| Definitive drug test using GC/MS or LC/MS A definitive drug test that identifies specific drugs and distinguishes between structural isomers using advanced methods like GC/MS or LC/MS. |
34 | $153 | $500 |
| 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. |
32 | $117 | $497 |
| Definitive drug test using GC/MS or LC/MS A definitive drug test that identifies specific drugs and distinguishes between structural isomers using advanced methods like GC/MS or LC/MS. |
31 | $112 | $350 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the lower or sacral spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
27 | $98 | $556 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging guidance An injection into a lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance for the second level treated. |
27 | $56 | $305 |
| Definitive drug test using GC/MS or LC/MS A definitive drug test that identifies specific drugs and distinguishes between structural isomers using advanced methods like GC/MS or LC/MS. |
24 | $195 | $600 |
| Chronic care management, first 20 min/month This service covers the first 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional each calendar month to manage chronic conditions. |
22 | $49 | $188 |
| Injection of anesthetic or steroid into sacroiliac joint with imaging guidance This procedure involves injecting an anesthetic or steroid medication into the joint connecting the lower spine and hip bone. Imaging guidance is used to ensure accurate placement of the injection. |
15 | $85 | $496 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
14 | $41 | $183 |
| Sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a sacral spine nerve root. The procedure uses imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
14 | $92 | $894 |
| Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement Use of real-time X-ray imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
14 | $20 | $243 |
| Injection into lower spine canal with imaging guidance A procedure where a substance is injected into the lower part of the spinal canal. The injection is performed using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
12 | $74 | $695 |
| Drug test with direct observation A drug screening test performed under direct observation to ensure the sample is provided correctly. This method is used to verify the integrity of the specimen collection process. |
11 | $12 | $45 |
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.
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$13,119
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,874/year across 7 years
Top 17% in GA for interventional pain medicine physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
48
Companies
246
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
$13,067 (99.6%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$52 (0.4%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$798
2023
$137
2022
$990
2021
$707
2020
$468
2019
$2,201
2018
$7,818
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic, Inc.
$312
Stryker Corporation
$150
Forte Bio-Pharma LLC
$100
Boston Scientific Corporation
$75
Curonix LLC
$75
VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
$63
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$23
Top 3 companies account for 70.5% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Nuvectra Corporation
$3,347
Nevro Corp.
$3,272
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$1,070
Abbott Laboratories
$987
Vertiflex, Inc.
$606
Boston Scientific Corporation
$604
SI-BONE, Inc.
$490
Medtronic, Inc.
$387
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$296
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$290
Stryker Corporation
$150
SI-BONE, INC.
$138
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$116
Amgen Inc.
$101
Forte Bio-Pharma LLC
$100
Radius Health, Inc.
$83
Shionogi Inc
$83
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$80
Curonix LLC
$75
PFIZER INC.
$68
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$64
VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
$63
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$61
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$56
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$50
Kaleo, Inc.
$47
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$36
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$35
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$29
US WorldMeds, LLC
$29
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$28
Virtus Pharmaceuticals LLC
$27
Vertical Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$26
Trevena, Inc.
$25
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$20
Masimo Corporation
$19
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$17
Sentynl Therapeutics, Inc.
$17
Bioventus LLC
$16
Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.
$16
AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$15
ASSERTIO THERAPEUTICS, Inc.
$15
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$13
FORTE BIO-PHARMA LLC
$12
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$12
Horizon Pharma plc
$12
Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
$11
FIDIA PHARMA USA INC.
$2
Top 3 companies account for 58.6% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AIMOVIG · Accurian · Aimovig · Algovita · Amitiza · Belbuca · DSUVIA · DUEXIS · EVZIO · Evzio · GELSYN 3 · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · General - Pain Management · Gralise · Horizant · Hymovis · IFUSE IMPLANT · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Intracept · LACTULOSE · LEVORPHANOL TARTRATE · LORZONE · LYRICA · Levorphanol · Lucemyra/Lofexidine · MILD DEVICE KIT · MOVANTIK · MYSTIM · Morphabond ER · NALOCET · Nalu Neurostimulation System · Olinvyk · Omnia · PENNSAID · PNS FREEDOM-4A PERMANENT NEUROSTIMULATOR RECEIVER KIT CHANNEL A · PROCLAIM · PROLATE · Patient SafetyNet System · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · RELISTOR · RESTORE · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER (REFURBISHED) · SUPERION · SYMPROIC · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · StimQ Receiver Stimulator Kit Channel A US w Receiver · StimQ Receiver Stimulator Kit Channel A US w/Receiver · Superion · Superion ISS · Symproic · Tymlos · VECTRIS · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XTAMPZA · XTAMPZAER · ZOHYDRO ER · ZTLido · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH · Zilretta · Zipsor · iFuse Implant
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.
Geographic Context
Interventional pain medicine physicians within 10 mi
7
Per 100K population
6.1
County median income
$73,732
Nearest hospital
PIEDMONT NEWTON HOSPITAL
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. Espinal is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 17% of GA peers, with 21 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. Espinal experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Espinal performed 193 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. Espinal receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Espinal received a total of $13,119 from 48 companies across 246 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. Espinal's costs compare to other interventional pain medicine physicians in Covington?
Dr. Espinal's average Medicare payment per service is $89. 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. Espinal) 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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