Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Kathryn Hester, M.D.

Rheumatology · Arlington, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1001 N WALDROP DR, Arlington, TX 76012
8175420402
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1336350040 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. Hester 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. Hester? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Hester

Dr. Kathryn Hester is a rheumatology in Arlington, TX, with 18 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Hester performed 599 Medicare services across 297 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Hester received a total of $4,719 from 28 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 291 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in rheumatology. 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. Hester 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.

✓ 18 years in practice▲ 599 Medicare services$ $4,719 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
599
Medicare services
Bottom 38% in TX for rheumatology
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
297
Unique beneficiaries
$88
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
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)382$83$400
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)85$128$450
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)81$46$375
New patient office visit (45-59 min)27$104$600
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min)24$144$650
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 ↗
$4,719
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $674/year across 7 years
Top 48% in TX for rheumatology
28
Companies
291
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
$4,682 (99.2%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$37 (0.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$656
2023
$559
2022
$362
2021
$620
2020
$516
2019
$1,204
2018
$802

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Amgen Inc.
$954
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$817
ABBVIE INC.
$457
AbbVie, Inc.
$442
AbbVie Inc.
$416
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$233
Lilly USA, LLC
$181
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$148
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$127
PFIZER INC.
$126
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$124
Genentech USA, Inc.
$117
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$94
UCB, Inc.
$89
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$51
Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC
$48
MEDAC PHARMA, INC.
$39
Celltrion USA Inc.
$37
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$33
Organon Llc
$32
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$25
Boston Scientific Corporation
$25
ABIOMED
$21
Celgene Corporation
$20
Sandoz Inc.
$19
Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc.
$15
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$15
GENZYME CORPORATION
$14
Top 3 companies account for 47.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · AMJEVITA · Actemra · BENLYSTA · Bimzelx · COSENTYX · CYLTEZO · Cimzia · Enbrel · FORTEO · HADLIMA · HUMIRA · HYRIMOZ · Humira · IDACIO · Impella · KEVZARA · KRYSTEXXA · LUPKYNIS · ORENCIA · Otezla · Otrexup · RAYOS · REMICADE · RINVOQ · Rasuvo · Rinvoq · Rituxan · SAPHNELO · SIMPONI · SKYRIZI · STELARA · TALTZ · TAVNEOS · TREMFYA · Tavneos · Trintellix · Tyenne · Uloric · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · XELJANZ · YUFLYMA
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 (99%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $788 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a rheumatology in Arlington?
Compare rheumatologys in the Arlington area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse rheumatologys nearby

Geographic Context

Rheumatologys within 10 mi
88
Per 100K population
4.1
County median income
$81,905
Nearest hospital
TEXAS HEALTH ARLINGTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
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. Hester is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and low-engagement industry engagement, with 18 years of practice experience.

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. Hester experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Hester performed 382 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. Hester receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Hester received a total of $4,719 from 28 companies across 291 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. Hester's costs compare to other rheumatologys in Arlington?
Dr. Hester's average Medicare payment per service is $88. 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. Hester) 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 →