Sarah Ligon Buenviaje-Smith, MD
NPI 1922079375ActiveIndividual· Pain Medicine, Pain Medicine· Apple Valley, CA
Pain Medicine, Pain Medicine (MD) in Apple Valley, California, trained at Hahnemann University College of Medicine (class of 1996). Their prescriptions cost Medicare Part D more than their services did: $306,110 for 4,567 claims, against $133,959 paid for services in 2024. Protega Pharmaceutials Inc was the largest of 10 companies reporting payments in 2025, $327.64 in all, mostly food and beverage.
Overview
| NPI | 1922079375 |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Entity type | Individual |
| Credential | MD |
| Sole proprietor | Yes |
| NPI issued | Feb 1, 2006 |
| Last updated in NPPES | Jun 1, 2016 |
Specialties and licenses
| Taxonomy | Code | License | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain Medicine, Pain Medicine Primary | 208VP0000X | C52647 | CA |
| Anesthesiology | 207L00000X | 11504 | NV |
| Anesthesiology | 207L00000X | C52647 | CA |
Exclusion screening
| List | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| HHS-OIG LEIE · Nov 10, 2026 | No match | Checked by NPI and by name + state |
| North Carolina Medicaid · Nov 11, 2026 | No match | — |
| New York OMIG · Nov 11, 2026 | No match | — |
| Ohio Medicaid · Nov 11, 2026 | No match | — |
| Pennsylvania Medicheck · Nov 11, 2026 | No match | — |
| Washington HCA · Nov 11, 2026 | No match | — |
Official OIG search · How matching works ·Bulk check a roster
Medicare
| Enrollment (PECOS) | Enrolled Practitioner - Anesthesiology (CA) |
|---|---|
| Accepts assignment | Yes (participating) |
Medicare services in 2024
| Medicare patients | 68 |
|---|---|
| Services billed | 2,463 across 43 procedure codes |
| Paid by Medicare | $133,959 |
Part D prescriptions in 2024
| Prescriptions (claims) | 4,567 · 4,596 30-day fills |
|---|---|
| Patients | 183 |
| Total drug cost | $306,110 |
| Generic share | 90% of claims |
Education and affiliations
| Medical school | Hahnemann University College of Medicine |
|---|---|
| Graduation year | 1996 |
| Medicare specialty | Anesthesiology |
| Secondary specialties | Pain Management |
| Telehealth | Offers telehealth |
Industry payments (Open Payments)
- 2025$327.64 · 14 payments from 10 companies
- 2024$191.34 · 9 payments from 5 companies
Top paying companies in 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Protega Pharmaceutials Inc | $66.22 | 3 |
| Virtus Pharmaceuticals LLC | $56.86 | 2 |
| Boston Scientific Corporation | $39.42 | 2 |
| Averitas Pharma Inc. | $33.97 | 1 |
| Tonix Medicines, Inc. | $30.19 | 1 |
What the 2025 payments were for
- Food and Beverage$327.64 · 14 payments
Receiving payments does not imply wrongdoing. What Open Payments covers ·original records