Dr. Alex Cruz, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Cruz
Dr. Alex Cruz is an orthopaedic surgery of the spine physician in Austin, TX, with 10 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cruz performed 1,089 Medicare services across 864 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cruz received a total of $29,083 from 19 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 285 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in orthopaedic surgery of the spine 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. Cruz 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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) | 294 | $98 | $338 |
| X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views | 153 | $30 | $118 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 139 | $64 | $233 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 98 | $122 | $510 |
| X-ray of upper spine, 2-3 views | 61 | $30 | $118 |
| Mri scan of lower spinal canal without contrast | 38 | $99 | $676 |
| Insertion of cage or mesh device to spine bone and disc space during spine fusion | 35 | $150 | $651 |
| X-ray lower and sacral spine, minimum of 6 views | 32 | $49 | $184 |
| Fusion of additional segment of spine | 31 | $217 | $1,176 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with release of lower spinal cord and/or nerves, 1 segment | 24 | $500 | $2,322 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) | 20 | $78 | $334 |
| Hip X-ray, 2-3 views | 19 | $34 | $140 |
| Steroid injection (triamcinolone) | 19 | $1 | $5 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with release of spinal cord and/or nerves, each additional segment | 17 | $127 | $605 |
| Joint injection, major joint | 16 | $45 | $210 |
| X-ray of middle spine, 2 views | 15 | $26 | $98 |
| Fusion of spine in lower back | 14 | $996 | $4,739 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity | 14 | $101 | $429 |
| Fusion of lower spine bone through abdomen with partial removal of disc | 13 | $601 | $4,852 |
| Placement of stabilizing device to front, 2-3 spine bone segments | 13 | $417 | $1,880 |
| Placement of stabilizing device to back of 1 spine bone in neck | 12 | $381 | $1,765 |
| X-ray of pelvis, 1-2 views | 12 | $21 | $88 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
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 measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Cruz is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 19% in TX), 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. Cruz experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Does Dr. Cruz receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Cruz's costs compare to other orthopaedic surgery of the spine physicians in Austin?
What does Data Coverage mean?
Is this data up to date?
Explore related providers
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.
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