Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Sergio Cantu, M.D.

Hospitalist Physician · Alice, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
779 N TEXAS BLVD, Alice, TX 78332
3616680919
In practice since 2011 (14 years)
NPI: 1770862047 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. Cantu 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. Cantu

Dr. Sergio Cantu is a hospitalist physician in Alice, TX, with 14 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cantu performed 15,479 Medicare services across 2,880 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cantu received a total of $2,123 from 29 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 132 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in hospitalist physician. 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. Cantu 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.

✓ 14 years in practice▲ Top 1% volume in TX$ $2,123 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
15,479
Medicare services
Top 1% in TX for hospitalist physician
2,880
Unique beneficiaries
$63
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~1,106 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
Nursing facility visit, moderate complexity6,561$80$167
Nursing facility visit, low complexity1,565$52$127
Physician or allowed practitioner supervision of a patient receiving medicare-covered services provided by a participating home health agency (patient not present) requiring complex and multidisciplinary care modalities involving regular physician or allow996$78$201
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)880$84$198
Dexamethasone injection (steroid)841$0$3
Advance care planning consultation, first 30 min788$58$120
Chronic care management, first 20 min/month481$45$122
Physician or allowed practitioner re-certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians a476$31$77
Home visit, established patient, moderate complexity467$93$238
Injection, ketorolac tromethamine, per 15 mg364$0$3
Smoking and tobacco use intensive counseling, more than 10 minutes267$26$60
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle232$10$45
Annual wellness visit, follow-up162$124$211
Annual alcohol misuse screening, 5 to 15 minutes153$18$21
Annual, face-to-face intensive behavioral therapy for cardiovascular disease, individual, 15 minutes153$25$30
Annual depression screening133$18$53
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead131$10$36
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)110$61$134
Initial nursing facility care with high level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 45 minutes93$131$310
Physician supervision of a patient under a medicare-approved hospice (patient not present) requiring complex and multidisciplinary care modalities involving regular physician development and/or revision of care plans, review of subsequent reports of patien90$80$203
Brief communication technology-based service, e.g. virtual check-in, by a physician or other qualified health care professional who can report evaluation and management services, provided to an established patient, not originating from a related e/m servic80$10$15
Ceftriaxone antibiotic injection80$0$20
Physician or allowed practitioner certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians and69$40$100
Nursing facility discharge management, more than 30 minutes50$97$193
Influenza vaccine, quadrivalent derived from cell cultures49$32$40
Flu vaccine administration49$24$25
Transitional care management services for problem of high complexity40$209$310
Residence visit for established patient with high level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 60 minutes26$137$330
Home visit, established patient, low complexity23$54$158
Injection, vitamin b-12 cyanocobalamin, up to 1000 mcg20$1$35
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)19$43$80
Automated urinalysis16$2$8
New patient office visit (45-59 min)15$59$306
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 ↗
$2,123
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $303/year across 7 years
Top 11% in TX for hospitalist physician
29
Companies
132
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
$2,123 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$895
2023
$156
2022
$57
2021
$14
2020
$32
2019
$324
2018
$645

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$302
Amgen Inc.
$296
Lilly USA, LLC
$251
Novo Nordisk Inc
$176
UCB, Inc.
$153
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$111
PFIZER INC.
$109
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$94
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$85
Ardelyx, Inc.
$75
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$49
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$48
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$43
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$41
ABBVIE INC.
$34
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$32
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$28
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$24
UROVANT SCIENCES INC
$20
Lundbeck LLC
$17
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$17
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$16
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$16
Radius Health, Inc.
$16
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
MannKind Corporation
$14
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$13
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$13
Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc
$13
Top 3 companies account for 40.0% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADVAIR · AFREZZA · AIRSUPRA · Aimovig · Austedo XR · BREZTRI · CHANTIX · ENTRESTO · EVENITY · Edarbi · FARXIGA · GEMTESA · IBSRELA · INVOKAMET · INVOKANA · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LINZESS · MOUNJARO · NURTEC ODT · NUZYRA · Nayzilam · Otezla · Ozempic · Prolia · REXULTI · SOLIQUA · SOLIQUA 100/33 · SYMPROIC · TOUJEO · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRINTELLIX · TRULICITY · Trulance · Tymlos · UBRELVY · VERQUVO · Victoza · XARELTO · XIFAXAN
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 $14 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a hospitalist physician in Alice?
Compare hospitalist physicians in the Alice area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Hospitalist Physicians within 10 mi
1
Per 100K population
2.6
County median income
$47,492
Nearest hospital
CHRISTUS SPOHN HOSPITAL ALICE
0.0 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. Cantu is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 1% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 11%).

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. Cantu experienced with nursing facility visit, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Cantu performed 6,561 nursing facility 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. Cantu receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Cantu received a total of $2,123 from 29 companies across 132 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. Cantu's costs compare to other hospitalist physicians in Alice?
Dr. Cantu's average Medicare payment per service is $63. 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. Cantu) 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 →