Dr. Thomas Pontinen, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Pontinen
Dr. Thomas Pontinen is an interventional pain medicine physician in Des Plaines, IL, with 17 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Pontinen performed 1,047 Medicare services across 349 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Pontinen received a total of $23,049 from 29 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 696 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. Pontinen 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
403 | $66 | $424 |
| Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg | 210 | $6 | $10 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 5-10 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 5 and 10 minutes to discuss medical matters. |
111 | $38 | $101 |
| Joint injection, major joint Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space. |
102 | $65 | $798 |
| Contrast dye for imaging, lower concentration | 94 | $0 | $5 |
| Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement Use of real-time X-ray imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
60 | $98 | $406 |
| Trigger point injection, 1-2 muscles A procedure involving the injection of medication into one or two specific muscles to treat trigger points. |
30 | $39 | $230 |
| 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. |
24 | $202 | $1,900 |
| 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. |
13 | $89 | $640 |
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)
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 10% for interventional pain medicine physician in IL.
Geographic Context
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. Pontinen is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 10% of IL peers, with 17 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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. 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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