Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Sudarshan Rajagopal, M.D.

Cardiovascular Disease · Durham, NC
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
40 DUKE MEDICINE CIR, Durham, NC 27710
9196848111
In practice since 2008 (18 years)
NPI: 1134391253 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. Rajagopal 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 →
Are you Dr. Rajagopal? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Rajagopal

Dr. Sudarshan Rajagopal is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Durham, NC, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Rajagopal performed 314 Medicare services across 186 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Rajagopal received a total of $107,909 from 7 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 178 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Rajagopal 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.

✓ 18 years in practice ▲ 314 Medicare services $107,909 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
314
Medicare services
Bottom 14% in NC for cardiovascular disease
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
186
Unique beneficiaries
$71
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~17 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
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.
141 $59 $174
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.
81 $71 $255
Hospital discharge management, 30+ min
This service covers the care provided by a physician or qualified healthcare professional on the day a patient is discharged from the hospital. It requires more than 30 minutes of total time spent on the day of discharge.
25 $83 $272
Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an established patient with straightforward or low-level medical decision making. The visit requires at least 25 minutes of time spent on the day of service.
21 $36 $108
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.
20 $135 $486
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)
An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter.
14 $109 $344
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 12 $117 $490
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 ↗
$107,909
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $15,416/year across 7 years
Top 5% in NC for cardiovascular disease
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
7
Companies
178
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.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$107,007 (99.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$902 (0.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$20,445
2023
$20,638
2022
$17,012
2021
$7,394
2020
$9,470
2019
$16,455
2018
$16,495

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$14,091
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$6,220
United Therapeutics Corporation
$133
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
United Therapeutics Corporation
$46,429
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$31,433
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$18,685
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$5,016
Insmed, Inc.
$4,241
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
$2,068
Janssen Research & Development, LLC
$37
Top 3 companies account for 89.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Adempas · NONE · OPSUMIT · OPSUMIT MACITENTAN · ORENITRAM · REMODULIN · TYVASO · UPTRAVI · WINREVAIR
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 (99%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 5% for cardiovascular disease in NC.

Looking for a cardiovascular disease specialist in Durham?
Compare cardiologists in the Durham area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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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. Rajagopal is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 5% of NC peers, with 18 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. Rajagopal experienced with hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Rajagopal performed 141 hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity 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. Rajagopal receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Rajagopal received a total of $107,909 from 7 companies across 178 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. Rajagopal's costs compare to other cardiologists in Durham?
Dr. Rajagopal's average Medicare payment per service is $71. 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. Rajagopal) 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 →