Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Chen Xu

Neurological Surgery · Pittsburgh, PA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Mixed engagement
320 E NORTH AVE STE 208, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
4123596200
In practice since 2014 (12 years)
NPI: 1821418641 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. Xu 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. Xu

Dr. Chen Xu is a neurological surgery specialist in Pittsburgh, PA, with 12 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Xu performed 378 Medicare services across 310 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Xu received a total of $20,341 from 19 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 106 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. 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. Xu 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.

✓ 12 years in practice ▲ Top 27% volume in PA $20,341 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
378
Medicare services
Top 27% in PA for neurological surgery
310
Unique beneficiaries
$134
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
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.
92 $126 $528
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.
75 $82 $373
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.
42 $98 $384
Spinal fusion of additional segment
A surgical procedure to join an additional section of the spine to the existing fusion. This is performed as a separate or subsequent step to stabilize more of the spinal column.
26 $272 $1,156
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.
25 $131 $512
Spine fusion with cage or mesh device insertion
A surgical procedure to fuse spine bones by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space.
22 $194 $764
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.
22 $37 $140
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.
20 $118 $487
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.
17 $56 $263
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 13 $157 $649
Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments
Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back.
12 $573 $2,253
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.
12 $77 $331
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.
12.7% high complexity
0.0% medium
87.3% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$20,341
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $2,906/year across 7 years
Top 20% in PA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
19
Companies
106
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
$10,012 (49.2%)
Scientific / Research
Research funding and grants
$6,329 (31.1%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$4,000 (19.7%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$7,141
2023
$1,897
2022
$2,459
2021
$1,785
2020
$222
2019
$392
2018
$6,445

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Retropsoas Technologies, LLC
$4,000
Stryker Corporation
$1,176
Abbott Laboratories
$889
Globus Medical, Inc.
$267
SI-BONE, INC.
$232
Cerapedics Inc.
$168
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$160
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$119
Medtronic, Inc.
$107
ITI, Inc. (d/b/a Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc.)
$23
Top 3 companies account for 84.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$6,329
Retropsoas Technologies, LLC
$4,000
Stryker Corporation
$3,759
Abbott Laboratories
$2,511
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$660
SI-BONE, INC.
$563
Medtronic, Inc.
$397
Aesculap, Inc.
$380
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$327
Globus Medical, Inc.
$267
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$193
Cerapedics Inc.
$189
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$174
Kuros Biosciences USA, Inc
$173
Baxter Healthcare
$172
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$104
Amgen Inc.
$87
Innovation Technologies Inc
$34
ITI, Inc. (d/b/a Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc.)
$23
Top 3 companies account for 69.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIVA · AERO-LL · ALEUTIAN INTERBODY SYSTEMS · ALTERA · ATLANTIS · BREZTRI · BREZTRI AEROSPHERE · BioSurgery - FLOSEAL · CAPLYTA · CATALYFT PL EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM · CD HORIZON · CD HORIZON SPINAL SYSTEM · CHESAPEAKE STABILIZATION SYSTEM · ETERNA · EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM · Excelsius Deformity · FASENRA · FLOSEAL · I-FACTOR PEPTIDE ENHANCED BONE GRAFT · IFUSE IMPLANT · Irrisept · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · MINOP MODULAR NEUROENDOSCOPY SYSTEM · MazorX - Renaissance · N/A · O-ARM · PENTA · PICO · PICO 7 · PROCLAIM · PROGAV 2.0 · PROGAV2 · Penta SCS Leads · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · SPECIFY · SPINEJACK · SYMPHONY · Sentio · Spine & Trauma 3D Navigation · TEZSPIRE · TISSEEL · TRITANIUM
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 (49%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in Pittsburgh?
Compare neurological surgerists in the Pittsburgh area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurological surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
91
Per 100K population
7.3
County median income
$76,393
Nearest hospital
ALLEGHENY GENERAL 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. Xu is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 27% in PA), with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 20% of PA peers.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Xu experienced with office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Xu performed 92 office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 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. Xu receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Xu received a total of $20,341 from 19 companies across 106 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. Xu's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Pittsburgh?
Dr. Xu's average Medicare payment per service is $134. 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. Xu) 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 →