Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Kristen Hawthorne, M.D.

Ophthalmology · Austin, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Speaking/Promotional
2610 S IH 35, Austin, TX 78704
5124439715
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1003019092 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. Hawthorne 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. Hawthorne? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Hawthorne

Dr. Kristen Hawthorne is an ophthalmology specialist in Austin, TX, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Hawthorne performed 2,193 Medicare services across 1,817 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Hawthorne received a total of $10,584 from 34 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 139 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in ophthalmology. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Hawthorne 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 ▲ Top 42% volume in TX $10,584 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,193
Medicare services
Top 42% in TX for ophthalmology
1,817
Unique beneficiaries
$94
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~122 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
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient 448 $87 $162
Eye exam, established patient, focused 394 $66 $120
Corneal topography and eye depth measurement 237 $30 $136
Comprehensive eye exam, new patient 220 $103 $191
Ultrasound scan of cornea to determine thickness 192 $8 $20
Cataract surgery with lens implant 190 $427 $1,300
Ct scan of cornea 140 $24 $150
Optic nerve imaging (OCT scan) 102 $26 $90
Visual field test, extended 93 $48 $125
Retinal imaging (OCT scan) 77 $28 $100
Removal of recurring cataract in lens capsule using a laser 57 $248 $500
New patient problem focused exam of visual system 29 $60 $120
Photography of content of eyes 14 $17 $80
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.
8.7% high complexity
23.3% medium
68.0% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$10,584
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,512/year across 7 years
Top 12% in TX for ophthalmology
34
Companies
139
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$6,161 (58.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$4,423 (41.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$972
2023
$724
2022
$461
2021
$6,468
2020
$573
2019
$760
2018
$627

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Allergan, Inc.
$6,458
RxSight Inc
$597
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$382
ABBVIE INC.
$274
Alcon Vision LLC
$271
NEW WORLD MEDICAL,INC.
$262
Allergan Inc.
$260
Shire North American Group Inc
$185
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$150
Optos, Inc.
$144
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$143
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$128
TissueTech, Inc.
$123
Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.
$120
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$119
Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$117
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$112
AbbVie, Inc.
$110
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$87
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$77
Glaukos Corporation
$73
Amgen Inc.
$56
TearLab Corp
$55
Dompe US, Inc.
$51
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$42
Omeros Corporation
$38
BioTissue Holdings, Inc.
$24
TISSUETECH, INC.
$23
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$20
Mallinckrodt LLC
$19
Alcon Laboratories Inc
$18
Carl Zeiss Meditec USA, Inc.
$17
Sight Sciences, Inc.
$16
Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 70.3% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · ALPHAGAN P · ARGOS · ARTEVO 800 · AcrySof IQ PanOptix · Ahmed Glaucoma Valve · BROMSITE · BromSite (bromfenac ophthalmic solution) 0.075% · CATALYS SYSTEM · Centurion · Clareon · CyPass · DURYSTA · EYLEA HD · Humira · INVELTYS · IOLMaster · Kahook Dual Blade · LIGHT ADJUSTABLE LENS (LAL) AND LIGHT DELIVERY DEVICE (LDD) · LOTEMAX SM · LUMIGAN · MIEBO · NFC-700 · OMNI(R) SURGICAL SYSTEM (US) · OXERVATE · Omidria · One Series Ultra · PROKERA · PROLENSA · Prokera · RESTASIS · RESTASIS MULTIDOSE · RXSIGHT CONTACT LENS · ReSTOR · Rhopressa · Rocklatan · SCOUTPRO · STELLARIS · Simbrinza · TEARLAB OSMOLARITY SYSTEM · TEPEZZA · TRAVATAN Z · TYRVAYA · TearLab Osmolarity System · Tecnis IOL · Tecnis Simplicity · Tecnis Symfony IOL · Tecnis iTec Preloaded Delivery System · VERITAS Vision System · VUITY · VYZULTA · XDEMVY · XIIDRA · iStent Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stent System
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 →

The majority of payments (58%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in ophthalmology and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware.

Equivalent to $483 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for an ophthalmology specialist in Austin?
Compare ophthalmologists in the Austin area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Ophthalmologists within 10 mi
133
Per 100K population
10.2
County median income
$97,169
Nearest hospital
ST DAVID'S SOUTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER
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. Hawthorne is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 12% of TX peers, with 18 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. Hawthorne experienced with comprehensive eye exam, established patient?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Hawthorne performed 448 comprehensive eye exam, established patient 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. Hawthorne receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Hawthorne received a total of $10,584 from 34 companies across 139 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. Hawthorne's costs compare to other ophthalmologists in Austin?
Dr. Hawthorne's average Medicare payment per service is $94. 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. Hawthorne) 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 →