Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Stephen Zaacks, M.D.
Cardiovascular Disease · Arlington Heights, IL
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. Zaacks 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. Zaacks
Dr. Stephen Zaacks is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Arlington Heights, IL, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Zaacks performed 3,072 Medicare services across 2,116 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Zaacks received a total of $7,696 from 41 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 340 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. 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. Zaacks 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 29% volume in IL
$7,696 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗3,072
Medicare services
Top 29% in IL for cardiovascular disease
2,116
Unique beneficiaries
$62
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~162 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. |
869 | $91 | $246 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
821 | $11 | $80 |
| Anticoagulant management for warfarin Management of anticoagulant therapy for a patient taking warfarin. This service involves monitoring and adjusting the medication regimen. |
283 | $8 | $33 |
| 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. |
267 | $67 | $144 |
| 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. |
174 | $74 | $175 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
67 | $30 | $550 |
| Cardiac catheterization | 66 | $214 | $1,011 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
62 | $53 | $601 |
| 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. |
60 | $146 | $401 |
| Office visit for established patient An office visit for an existing patient that may not require the healthcare professional to be present. |
58 | $17 | $61 |
| 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. |
49 | $129 | $343 |
| Coronary stent placement A procedure to insert a stent into a coronary artery or its branch to keep it open, using balloon dilation during the process. |
42 | $506 | $2,001 |
| Remote pacemaker monitoring, 90 days Remote assessment of a pacemaker system, including single, dual, multiple lead, or leadless devices, performed up to 90 days apart. |
37 | $23 | $92 |
| EKG interpretation and report A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report. |
36 | $6 | $35 |
| Ultrasound of arm or leg veins An ultrasound exam of the veins in the arm or leg. The test uses sound waves to check blood flow and may include compression and other maneuvers. |
30 | $27 | $750 |
| 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. |
25 | $109 | $281 |
| 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. |
23 | $102 | $206 |
| Ultrasound of leg arteries or grafts An imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the blood vessels in the legs or any surgical grafts present. |
19 | $32 | $692 |
| Coronary angiography A procedure to insert a tube into a coronary artery to capture diagnostic images of the heart's blood vessels. |
18 | $153 | $807 |
| Ultrasound of arm and leg arteries A non-invasive imaging test that uses sound waves to examine the blood vessels in the arms and legs. It evaluates blood flow and checks for blockages or other vascular issues. |
15 | $18 | $400 |
| Follow-up heart ultrasound An ultrasound of the heart performed to monitor or reassess a previously identified condition or treatment progress. |
14 | $21 | $500 |
| Follow-up ultrasound of heart blood flow, valves and chambers An ultrasound exam that follows up on the heart's blood flow, valves, and chambers. It uses sound waves to create images of the heart's structure and function. |
14 | $6 | $25 |
| Limited retroperitoneal ultrasound A focused ultrasound exam of the area behind the abdominal cavity to evaluate specific structures. |
12 | $22 | $400 |
| 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. |
11 | $95 | $242 |
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.
7.2% high complexity
5.1% medium
87.7% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$7,696
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,099/year across 7 years
Top 28% in IL for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
41
Companies
340
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
$7,696 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,231
2023
$889
2022
$547
2021
$542
2020
$695
2019
$2,121
2018
$1,671
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ABIOMED
$359
Abbott Laboratories
$274
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$188
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$121
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$48
Amgen Inc.
$48
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$38
Medtronic, Inc.
$37
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$29
PFIZER INC.
$27
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$21
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$21
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$19
Top 3 companies account for 66.7% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
ABIOMED
$1,393
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$710
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$653
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$567
Boston Scientific Corporation
$462
Abbott Laboratories
$447
PFIZER INC.
$419
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$396
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$349
Amgen Inc.
$301
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$274
Medtronic, Inc.
$241
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$197
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$147
Terumo Medical Corporation
$143
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$135
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$87
Lundbeck LLC
$70
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$59
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$55
Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
$52
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$51
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$47
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$43
Allergan Inc.
$43
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$41
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$38
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$33
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$30
Teleflex LLC
$27
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$25
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$24
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$21
Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
$21
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$17
Novo Nordisk Inc
$15
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$14
Biocompatibles, Inc.
$12
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$12
G Medical Diagnostic Services, Inc.
$12
Cardinal Health 200, LLC
$12
Top 3 companies account for 35.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(6585) Omniwire · (9266) ELCA · ANDEXXA · AVVIGO Guidance System · AZUR · BEVYXXA · BRILINTA · BYSTOLIC · CARDIOMEMS · CHANTIX · COROFLOW · Cardiac Monitoring Suite · CoreValve Evolut · Corlanor · Coronary Orbital Atherectomy System · ELIQUIS · ELUVIA · ENTRESTO · Edarbyclor · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · FARXIGA · FLEXITOUCH · GENERAL STENTS · GENERAL STENTS · Glidesheath · HAWKONE · HeartWare HVAD · IN.PACT ADMIRAL · IN.PACT Admiral · INVOKANA · Impella · Inpefa · JARDIANCE · LEQVIO · LEXISCAN · LOKELMA · LifeVest · Livalo · MAMBA · MITRACLIP · MULTAQ · MYNX CONTROLTM · MetaCross · Mitra Clip system · NORTHERA · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · PRALUENT ALIROCUMAB INJECTION · PROMUS · ProtekDuo Kit · ROTABLATOR · Ranexa · Repatha · Reveal LINQ · SC2000 · SYMPLICITY G3 · SYNERGY · Saxenda · Shockwave IVL System with the Shockwave C2 Coronary IVL Catheter · TEGSEDI · TURNPIKE · UPTRAVI · VARITHENA · VYNDAQEL · Vascepa · WATCHMAN · Wolverine Coronary Cutting Balloon · XARELTO · ZIO Patch
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
Cardiologists within 10 mi
570
Per 100K population
11.0
County median income
$81,797
Nearest hospital
NORTHWEST COMMUNITY HOSPITAL 1
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. Zaacks is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 29% in IL), 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. Zaacks experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Zaacks performed 869 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. Zaacks receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Zaacks received a total of $7,696 from 41 companies across 340 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. Zaacks's costs compare to other cardiologists in Arlington Heights?
Dr. Zaacks's average Medicare payment per service is $62. 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. Zaacks) 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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