Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Vehniah Tjong, M.D.

Sports Medicine (Orthopaedic Surgery) Physician · Chicago, IL
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
259 E ERIE ST, Chicago, IL 60611
3126956800
In practice since 2015 (11 years)
NPI: 1003201419 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. Tjong 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. Tjong

Dr. Vehniah Tjong is a sports medicine physician in Chicago, IL, with 11 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Tjong performed 355 Medicare services across 203 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Tjong received a total of $112,447 from 17 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 186 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) 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. Tjong 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 ▲ 355 Medicare services $112,447 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
355
Medicare services
Bottom 19% in IL for sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
203
Unique beneficiaries
$53
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~32 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
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)
A 10 mg injection of triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid medication. This code specifies the drug and dosage administered.
124 $1 $6
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.
85 $102 $323
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.
54 $125 $505
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
33 $53 $432
Knee X-ray, 3 views
An X-ray imaging test of the knee joint that captures three different angles to evaluate the bones and surrounding structures.
33 $32 $198
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views
An X-ray imaging test of the shoulder joint using at least two different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
26 $25 $178
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 ↗
$112,447
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $16,064/year across 7 years
Top 11% in IL for sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
17
Companies
186
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$67,222 (59.8%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$40,539 (36.1%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$4,686 (4.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$29,446
2023
$22,026
2022
$23,760
2021
$13,221
2020
$10,255
2019
$2,965
2018
$10,774

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$29,147
Stryker Corporation
$174
International Life Sciences
$126
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$95,681
Smith & Nephew, Inc.
$9,643
Medwest Associates
$2,913
RTI SURGICAL, INC
$1,750
Arthrex, Inc.
$739
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$430
Stryker Corporation
$382
Graymont Equipment Distribution, LLC
$272
International Life Sciences
$126
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$120
DJO, LLC
$86
OSSIO INC
$83
Xiros Inc
$82
Orthogenrx Inc.
$78
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$31
Medacta USA, Inc.
$16
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$15
Top 3 companies account for 96.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(0173) EPIQ 7G · 1688 · ACCU-PASS · ACCUPASS DIRECT Crescent XL · ACUFEX · ACUFEX DIRECTOR · ALPHAVENT · ATTUNE · Acufex · Ambient Wands · BIORAPTOR · BIOSURE · Bioinductive Implant with Arthroscopic Delivery System - Medium · Bone Anchors with Arthroscopic Delivery System · CAP-FIX · Coblation · DUEXIS · DYONICS PLATINUM · DYONICS POWERMIN/Mini Blades · Dyonics Mini Shaver System · ENDOBUTTON · FAST-FIX · FLEXBAND · Fast-Fix 360 · GenVisc 850 · HEALICOIL · ICONIX · Infinity-Lock 5 · Journey II XR · MECTA · Meniscal Stitcher Set · NA · NOVOSTITCH · NOVOSTITCH PRO · OMEGA · PENNSAID · PRE-SUTURED Tendon · PROCISE Tonsil · Physio-Stim Osteogenesis Stimulator · Q-FIX · REGENESORB · REGENETEN · Regeneten · SPATIAL FRAME · TRAUMA · TRUNAV · ULTRABUTTON · VARIAX · VIMOVO
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 →

The majority of payments (60%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in sports medicine (orthopaedic surgery) physician and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware.

Looking for a sports medicine physician in Chicago?
Compare sports medicine physicians in the Chicago area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Sports medicine physicians within 10 mi
64
Per 100K population
1.2
County median income
$81,797
Nearest hospital
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
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. Tjong is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 11% of IL peers.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Tjong experienced with steroid injection (triamcinolone)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Tjong performed 124 steroid injection (triamcinolone) 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. Tjong receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Tjong received a total of $112,447 from 17 companies across 186 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. Tjong's costs compare to other sports medicine physicians in Chicago?
Dr. Tjong's average Medicare payment per service is $53. 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. Tjong) 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 →