Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Whitney McGaha, OD

Optometrist · Abilene, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
4749 BUFFALO GAP RD, Abilene, TX 79606
3256929596
In practice since 2017 (8 years)
NPI: 1790214385 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. McGaha 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. McGaha? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. McGaha

Dr. Whitney McGaha is an optometrist in Abilene, TX, with 8 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. McGaha performed 264 Medicare services across 247 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. McGaha received a total of $228 from 8 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 10 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optometrist. 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. McGaha is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. This is not a quality rating. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 8 years in practice▲ Top 39% volume in TX$ $228 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
264
Medicare services
Top 39% in TX for optometrist
247
Unique beneficiaries
$54
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~33 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.

ProcedureVolumeAvg. paidAvg. submitted
Retinal photography (fundus photo)76$21$79
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)72$58$99
New patient office visit (30-44 min)39$60$129
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)31$78$139
Cataract surgery with lens implant24$78$189
New patient office visit (45-59 min)22$82$179
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.
9.1% high complexity
0.0% medium
90.9% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$228
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $38/year across 6 years
Bottom 21% in TX for optometrist
8
Companies
10
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
$228 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$43
2022
$98
2021
$35
2020
$15
2019
$20
2018
$17

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Alcon Vision LLC
$71
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$36
ABBVIE INC.
$33
TISSUETECH, INC.
$23
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$21
CooperVision Inc.
$17
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$15
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 61.4% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Clariti Contact Lens · DAILIES · INFUSE · INVELTYS · LIPIFLOW SYSTEM ACTIVATOR II (DISPOSABLE · PROKERA · Precision 1 · VUITY · XIIDRA
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.

Equivalent to $86 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a optometrist in Abilene?
Compare optometrists in the Abilene area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse optometrists nearby

Geographic Context

Optometrists within 10 mi
26
Per 100K population
18.0
County median income
$66,406
Nearest hospital
OCEANS BEHAVIORAL HOSPITAL OF ABILENE
8.9 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/A

This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. McGaha is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and low-engagement industry engagement.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. McGaha experienced with retinal photography (fundus photo)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. McGaha performed 76 retinal photography (fundus photo) 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. McGaha receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. McGaha received a total of $228 from 8 companies across 10 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. McGaha's costs compare to other optometrists in Abilene?
Dr. McGaha's average Medicare payment per service is $54. 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. McGaha) 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. The Transparency Score measures 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 →