Dr. Laura Lester, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Lester
Dr. Laura Lester is a dermatopathology physician in Cedar Park, TX, with 17 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Lester performed 6,547 Medicare services across 3,857 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Lester received a total of $3,910 from 28 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 181 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in dermatopathology 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. Lester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity | 4,492 | $27 | $120 |
| Destruction of precancerous skin growths, 2-14 | 507 | $5 | $23 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 265 | $59 | $297 |
| Pathology examination of tissue using a microscope, moderately low complexity | 210 | $8 | $37 |
| Tissue staining for diagnosis, initial | 195 | $27 | $112 |
| Special stained specimen slides to identify organisms including interpretation and report | 192 | $20 | $86 |
| Destruction of precancerous skin growth, 1 | 148 | $32 | $223 |
| Tissue staining for diagnosis, additional | 129 | $22 | $91 |
| Destruction of skin growths (warts/lesions), 1-14 | 124 | $74 | $378 |
| Skin biopsy, tangential | 98 | $57 | $338 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 40 | $89 | $420 |
| Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) | 38 | $31 | $186 |
| Biopsy of related skin growth, each additional growth | 33 | $39 | $168 |
| Destruction of precancer skin growth, 15 or more growths | 29 | $121 | $562 |
| Pathology examination of tissue using a microscope, limited examination | 25 | $3 | $15 |
| Intermediate repair of wound of scalp, underarms, trunk, arms, or legs, 2.6-7.5 cm | 11 | $234 | $1,011 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) | 11 | $72 | $369 |
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. Lester is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 23% in TX), and low-engagement industry engagement, with 17 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
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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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