Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Joel Ornelas, M.D.

Radiation Oncology · Austin, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
12554 RIATA VISTA CIR, Austin, TX 78727
5127955100
In practice since 2009 (16 years)
NPI: 1528290509 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. Ornelas 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. Ornelas? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Ornelas

Dr. Joel Ornelas is a radiation oncology specialist in Austin, TX, with 16 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ornelas performed 6,070 Medicare services across 1,400 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ornelas received a total of $8,356 from 15 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 70 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in radiation oncology. 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. Ornelas 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.

✓ 16 years in practice ▲ Top 14% volume in TX $8,356 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
6,070
Medicare services
Top 14% in TX for radiation oncology
1,400
Unique beneficiaries
$7
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~379 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
Contrast dye for imaging (iodine-based) 4,640 $0 $1
Chest X-ray, 1 view 528 $7 $138
Complete ultrasound scan of abdomen 94 $51 $223
Chest X-ray, 2 views 73 $7 $160
Ultrasound scan of head and neck soft tissue 64 $41 $181
Blood creatinine level 49 $5 $21
X-ray of abdomen, 1 view 47 $7 $137
Ct scan of chest with contrast 42 $55 $253
CT scan of abdomen and pelvis with contrast 41 $114 $613
CT scan of chest, without contrast 40 $62 $290
Ultrasound study of one arm or leg veins with compression and maneuvers 39 $16 $409
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views 31 $7 $133
Hip X-ray, 2-3 views 31 $8 $212
Low dose ct scan of chest for lung cancer screening 29 $90 $320
X-ray of pelvis, 1-2 views 27 $6 $121
Ultrasound of both sides of head and neck blood flow 26 $91 $486
X-ray of wrist, minimum of 3 views 23 $7 $110
Limited ultrasound scan of abdomen 21 $20 $382
X-ray of knee, 1-2 views 20 $6 $122
Knee X-ray, 3 views 20 $7 $121
Ct scan of blood vessels of chest with contrast 19 $141 $782
Ultrasound of one side of head and neck blood flow 19 $17 $271
X-ray of ankle, minimum of 3 views 18 $7 $116
Ct scan of blood vessels of abdomen and pelvis with contrast 18 $235 $842
X-ray of lower leg, 2 views 17 $6 $110
X-ray of hand, minimum of 3 views 15 $7 $116
Complete ultrasound scan behind abdominal cavity 15 $58 $236
Foot X-ray, 3+ views 14 $6 $110
X-ray of thigh bone, minimum 2 views 13 $7 $136
Ct scan of abdomen and pelvis without contrast 13 $72 $423
Ultrasound of one leg arteries or artery grafts 13 $18 $358
Ct scan of abdominal aorta and both leg arteries with contrast 11 $152 $786
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 ↗
$8,356
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,194/year across 7 years
Top 8% in TX for radiation oncology
15
Companies
70
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
$7,591 (90.8%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$765 (9.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,585
2023
$381
2022
$1,958
2021
$131
2020
$800
2019
$936
2018
$2,565

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Penumbra, Inc.
$3,727
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$1,685
Boston Scientific Corporation
$426
Terumo Medical Corporation
$418
ARGON MEDICAL DEVICES, INC.
$400
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$353
Endocare, Inc.
$308
Inari Medical, Inc.
$258
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$217
Medtronic, Inc.
$194
Biocompatibles, Inc.
$132
Cook Medical LLC
$93
Ethicon US, LLC
$64
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$57
Blue Earth Diagnostics Limited
$23
Top 3 companies account for 69.9% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ABRE · AZUR · Axumin · CERTUS 140 MICROWAVE ABLATION SYSTEM · COOK MEDICAL FILTERS · ELUVIA · FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER · FlowTriever · GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION · GENERAL EMBOLICS · General - Embolics · General - IO Ablation · HawkOne · HydroPearl · ICEFX · ICEfx Cryoablation System · IN.PACT AV · IN.PACT Admiral · Indigo System · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · POD · Penumbra Ruby Coil · QT Vascular Chocolate PTA Balloon · RETRIEVAL · Ruby · S · THERASPHERE · THERASPHERE - BIO · TRUSELECT · VIABAHN VBX Balloon Expandable Endoprosthesis · ZILVER VENA
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 (91%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 8% for radiation oncology in TX.

Equivalent to $138 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a radiation oncology specialist in Austin?
Compare radiation oncologists in the Austin area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Radiation oncologists within 10 mi
148
Per 100K population
11.3
County median income
$97,169
Nearest hospital
NORTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER
2.9 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. Ornelas is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 14% in TX), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 8% of TX peers, with 16 years of NPI registration.

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. Ornelas experienced with contrast dye for imaging (iodine-based)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ornelas performed 4,640 contrast dye for imaging (iodine-based) 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. Ornelas receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ornelas received a total of $8,356 from 15 companies across 70 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. Ornelas's costs compare to other radiation oncologists in Austin?
Dr. Ornelas's average Medicare payment per service is $7. 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. Ornelas) 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 →