Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Brett Vessell, DPM

Foot & Ankle Surgery Podiatrist · Austin, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
211 COMAL ST, Austin, TX 78702
5129788130
In practice since 2015 (10 years)
NPI: 1992188437 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. Vessell 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. Vessell

Dr. Brett Vessell is a foot & ankle surgery podiatrist in Austin, TX, with 10 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Vessell performed 969 Medicare services across 617 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Vessell received a total of $19,553 from 31 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 274 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in foot & ankle surgery podiatrist. 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. Vessell 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.

✓ 10 years in practice ▲ Top 50% volume in TX $19,553 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
969
Medicare services
Top 50% in TX for foot & ankle surgery podiatrist
617
Unique beneficiaries
$48
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~97 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.

Procedure Volume Avg. paid Avg. submitted
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 216 $60 $100
Toenail/fingernail removal, 6+ nails 214 $26 $55
Foot X-ray, 3+ views 137 $23 $80
New patient office visit (30-44 min) 106 $73 $150
Toenail/fingernail removal, 1-5 nails 101 $19 $45
Removal of skin and tissue, 20.0 sq cm or less 74 $85 $125
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 58 $85 $140
New patient office visit (45-59 min) 25 $99 $175
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) 16 $41 $75
Simple separation of fingernail or toenail from nail bed, first nail 11 $81 $150
Placement of strapping to ankle or foot 11 $19 $45
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 ↗
$19,553
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $2,793/year across 7 years
Top 11% in TX for foot & ankle surgery podiatrist
31
Companies
274
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
$12,439 (63.6%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$7,114 (36.4%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$587
2023
$1,075
2022
$1,604
2021
$918
2020
$4,146
2019
$6,893
2018
$4,330

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Stryker Corporation
$6,842
Alpha Orthopedic Systems
$5,283
Arthrex, Inc.
$1,853
Wright Medical Technology, Inc.
$1,583
Arthrosurface Incorporated
$1,105
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$1,099
Misonix Inc
$515
Organogenesis Inc.
$315
Bioventus LLC
$154
ORGANOGENESIS INC.
$126
KCI USA, Inc
$100
Surmodics, Inc.
$58
Acera Surgical, Inc.
$57
Melinta Therapeutics, LLC
$55
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$51
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$44
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$37
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$36
Paragon 28, Inc.
$34
Allergan Inc.
$33
Core Surgical Group
$32
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$26
Aroa Biosurgery Incorporated
$17
Melinta Therapeutics, Inc.
$16
Celularity Inc.
$15
Sanara MedTech Inc.
$14
Celularity, Inc.
$14
Dynasplint Systems Inc.
$13
TREACE MEDICAL CONCEPTS, INC.
$12
Zyla Life Sciences
$11
Osiris Therapeutics Inc.
$4
Top 3 companies account for 71.5% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTISHIELD · ALLOWRAP · ANCHORAGE · ASNIS · AUGMENT · AUGMENT INJECTABLE · Actishield · Apligraf · BIO4 · BME NITINOL CONTINUOUS COMPRESSION IMPLANTS · CARTIVA · CITREFIX · CROSSCHECK · CellerateRx · DALVANCE · DRI-LOK DISPOSABLE CANNULAS · Dynasplint · EASY CLIP · Exogen Ultrasound Bone Healing System · FIXOS · G-FORCE · GORE VIABAHN Endoprosthesis with Heparin · GRAFIX · GRAFIX PL · GRAFIX/GRAFIXPL/STRAVIX · Gorilla · Grafix · Grafix PL PRIME · HOFFMANN · HemiCAP MTP Resurfacing · INBONE · Interfyl · Kimyrsa · LAPIPLASTY SYSTEM · OASIS · ORTHOLOC · ORTHOLOC 2 LAPIFUSE · ORTHOLOC 3DI · Orbactiv · PHANTOM LAPIDUS NAIL · PICO 7 Single Use Negative Pressure Wound Therapy · PROSTEP MICA · Physio-Stim Osteogenesis Stimulator · Puraply · Restrata Wound Matrix · SALVATION · SMART TOE · SMARTTOE · SNAP · SONICANCHOR · SPRIX · STRAVIX · Santyl · SonicOne · Stravix · Sublime 014 Rx PTA Balloon Dilatation Catheter · T2 · TheraSkin · VALOR · VARIAX · VITOSS · ZERBAXA
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 (64%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $2,018 per 100 Medicare services performed
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Geographic Context

Foot & ankle surgery podiatrists within 10 mi
31
Per 100K population
2.4
County median income
$97,169
Nearest hospital
DELL SETON MED CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TX
1.7 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. Vessell is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 11% of TX peers.

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. Vessell experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Vessell performed 216 office visit, established patient (20-29 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. Vessell receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Vessell received a total of $19,553 from 31 companies across 274 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. Vessell's costs compare to other foot & ankle surgery podiatrists in Austin?
Dr. Vessell's average Medicare payment per service is $48. 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. Vessell) 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 →