Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Youngeun Cho, MD
Pain Medicine · Seattle, WA
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. Cho 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. Cho?
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What this data tells you about Dr. Cho
Dr. Youngeun Cho is a pain medicine specialist in Seattle, WA, with 13 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cho performed 1,786 Medicare services across 1,289 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cho received a total of $2,528 from 21 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 89 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pain medicine. 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. Cho 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.
✓ 13 years in practice
▲ Top 21% volume in WA
$2,528 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,786
Medicare services
Top 21% in WA for pain medicine
1,289
Unique beneficiaries
$89
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~137 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. |
443 | $91 | $373 |
| Behavioral health care management, 20+ minutes This service involves clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional to manage behavioral health conditions. It requires at least 20 minutes of dedicated clinical staff time. |
146 | $29 | $200 |
| Ultrasound guidance for needle placement Use of ultrasound imaging to guide the precise placement of a needle during a medical procedure. |
120 | $41 | $693 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the lower or sacral spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
111 | $94 | $1,080 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging guidance An injection into a lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance for the second level treated. |
104 | $53 | $562 |
| Trigger point injection, 3 or more muscles Injection of medication into three or more specific muscle trigger points to relieve pain. |
89 | $43 | $210 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint A procedure to destroy nerves in a single lower or sacral spinal facet joint using imaging guidance to target pain signals. |
88 | $204 | $2,126 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional lower or sacral spinal facet joint. |
83 | $63 | $2,079 |
| Definitive drug test using GC/MS or LC/MS A definitive drug test that identifies specific drugs and distinguishes between structural isomers using advanced methods like GC/MS or LC/MS. |
79 | $188 | $600 |
| Sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a sacral spine nerve root. The procedure uses imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
77 | $96 | $1,254 |
| Additional sacral spine nerve root injection with imaging An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into an additional sacral spine nerve root level, guided by imaging. |
49 | $38 | $479 |
| Spine facet joint injection with imaging guidance, single level An injection is administered into a single facet joint of the upper or middle spine while using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
48 | $103 | $1,127 |
| Facet joint injection, second level, with imaging An injection into a second spinal facet joint in the upper or middle spine, guided by imaging to ensure accurate placement. |
48 | $60 | $568 |
| Drug screening test A laboratory test that uses a chemistry analyzer to detect the presence of drugs in a sample. |
39 | $57 | $267 |
| Spinal neurostimulator electrode insertion A procedure to place an electrode array into the spine through the skin. The electrode is used to deliver electrical stimulation to the nervous system. |
38 | $235 | $7,783 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, single joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy the nerves supplying a single upper or middle spinal facet joint. It is performed to interrupt pain signals from that specific joint. |
34 | $206 | $2,560 |
| Ultrasound-guided large joint aspiration or injection This procedure uses ultrasound imaging to guide the removal of fluid from or the injection of medication into a large joint. |
33 | $85 | $525 |
| Facet joint nerve destruction, additional joint This procedure uses imaging guidance to destroy nerves in an additional upper or middle spinal facet joint. |
32 | $73 | $2,166 |
| 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. |
25 | $110 | $566 |
| Office visit for established patient An office visit for an existing patient that may not require the healthcare professional to be present. |
21 | $18 | $71 |
| Electronic analysis of implanted neurostimulator with complex programming This procedure involves the electronic evaluation of an implanted neurostimulator generator. It includes complex programming of spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulators. |
19 | $42 | $380 |
| Tendon or ligament injection A procedure involving the injection of medication into a tendon or ligament. |
17 | $54 | $191 |
| Injection of anesthetic or steroid into sacroiliac joint with imaging guidance This procedure involves injecting an anesthetic or steroid medication into the joint connecting the lower spine and hip bone. Imaging guidance is used to ensure accurate placement of the injection. |
17 | $175 | $1,102 |
| Knee nerve block injection with imaging guidance An injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication into a nerve branch of the knee, performed using imaging guidance to ensure accurate placement. |
13 | $71 | $907 |
| Destruction of nerve branches of knee using imaging guidance | 13 | $136 | $1,734 |
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 ↗$2,528
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $361/year across 7 years
Bottom 47% in WA for pain medicine
21
Companies
89
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
$2,528 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$288
2023
$485
2022
$598
2021
$533
2020
$521
2019
$42
2018
$61
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ABBVIE INC.
$136
Abbott Laboratories
$72
Medtronic, Inc.
$25
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$23
PFIZER INC.
$18
SI-BONE, INC.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 80.9% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Abbott Laboratories
$998
VGI Medical, LLC
$445
ABBVIE INC.
$239
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$180
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$93
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$77
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$75
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$72
Boston Scientific Corporation
$59
Allergan, Inc.
$51
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$39
AbbVie Inc.
$38
Medtronic, Inc.
$25
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$25
Amgen Inc.
$21
PFIZER INC.
$18
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$17
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$16
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$15
SI-BONE, INC.
$14
Allergan Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 66.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AJOVY · AXIUM · Aimovig · BOTOX · ETERNA · Iovera · KYPHON EXPRESS II KYPHOPAK TRAY · NURTEC ODT · Nalu Neurostimulation System · PROCLAIM · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · QULIPTA · QUTENZA · Qutenza · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SiJoin · StimQ Receiver Stimulator Kit Channel A US w Receiver · StimQ Receiver Stimulator Kit Channel A US w/Receiver · UBRELVY · WAVEWRITER ALPHA · XTAMPZA · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH
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
Pain medicines within 10 mi
63
Per 100K population
2.8
County median income
$122,148
Nearest hospital
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON MEDICAL CTR
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. Cho is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 21% in WA), with low-engagement industry engagement.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Cho experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Cho performed 443 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. Cho receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Cho received a total of $2,528 from 21 companies across 89 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. Cho's costs compare to other pain medicines in Seattle?
Dr. Cho's average Medicare payment per service is $89. 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. Cho) 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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