Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Erik Garza, M.D.

Family Medicine · Corpus Christi, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
7121 S PADRE ISLAND DR STE 300, Corpus Christi, TX 78412
3616966200
In practice since 2013 (13 years)
NPI: 1609119254 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. Garza 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. Garza? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Garza

Dr. Erik Garza is a family medicine in Corpus Christi, TX, with 13 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Garza performed 2,082 Medicare services across 1,774 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Garza received a total of $8,086 from 39 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 474 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in family medicine. 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. Garza 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.

✓ 13 years in practice▲ Top 13% volume in TX$ $8,086 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,082
Medicare services
Top 13% in TX for family medicine
1,774
Unique beneficiaries
$25
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~160 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.

ProcedureVolumeAvg. paidAvg. submitted
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)330$67$289
Blood draw (venipuncture)253$8$12
Comprehensive metabolic blood panel231$10$37
Complete blood count (CBC) with differential230$8$27
Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides)192$13$46
Urinalysis with microscopic exam167$3$12
Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test128$16$59
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)119$53$204
Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring)105$9$34
Urine microalbumin test (kidney screening)55$6$20
Free thyroxine (T4) test51$9$32
Urine culture, bacterial colony count45$8$28
Annual wellness visit, follow-up36$126$295
New patient office visit (30-44 min)35$79$251
Bacterial culture, aerobic23$8$28
Antibiotic sensitivity test23$8$30
Nursing facility visit, moderate complexity18$74$202
PSA test (prostate cancer screening)16$18$64
Nursing facility visit, low complexity14$58$152
Vitamin D level test11$29$103
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 ↗
$8,086
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,155/year across 7 years
Top 7% in TX for family medicine
39
Companies
474
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
$8,086 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$780
2023
$496
2022
$109
2021
$983
2020
$2,466
2019
$1,268
2018
$1,983

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$1,954
Novo Nordisk Inc
$1,472
Lilly USA, LLC
$730
PFIZER INC.
$481
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$412
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$342
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$290
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$230
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$229
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$225
Amgen Inc.
$214
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$156
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$139
Allergan Inc.
$138
Allergan, Inc.
$119
ABBVIE INC.
$119
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$100
Baxter Healthcare
$93
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$84
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$59
MannKind Corporation
$54
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$46
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$37
Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC
$36
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$35
AbbVie Inc.
$32
Melinta Therapeutics, Inc.
$30
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$28
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$28
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$27
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$20
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$20
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$19
Abbott Laboratories
$19
ViiV Healthcare Company
$17
SERVIER PHARMACEUTICALS LLC
$16
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$15
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$14
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$11
Top 3 companies account for 51.4% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADVAIR · AFREZZA · AIRSUPRA · AJOVY · ANORO · APRETUDE · Aimovig · BASAGLAR · BREZTRI · BREZTRI AEROSPHERE · BYDUREON · BYSTOLIC · Baxdela · CHANTIX · Da Vinci Surgical System · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · ENTRESTO · FARXIGA · GEMTESA · Hillrom - Life 2000 Ventilation System · Horizant · INJECTAFER · INVOKANA · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · LINZESS · Livalo · MOUNJARO · MYRBETRIQ · NAMZARIC · NEXLETOL · NUEDEXTA · NURTEC ODT · ONZETRA XSAIL · Otezla · Ozempic · PENNSAID · PNEUMOVAX 23 · PREMARIN · PREVNAR - 13 · PREVNAR 13 · PREVNAR 20 · PROCLAIM · QULIPTA · Rybelsus · SHINGRIX · SOLIQUA · SOLIQUA 100/33 · SPIRIVA RESPIMAT · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SYNTHROID · Saxenda · TIBSOVO · TOUJEO · TRADJENTA · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRINTELLIX · TRULANCE · TRULICITY · Tresiba · UBRELVY · VRAYLAR · VYVANSE · Vascepa · Victoza · Wegovy · XARELTO · XIFAXAN · ZEPBOUND
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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 7% for family medicine in TX.

Equivalent to $388 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a family medicine in Corpus Christi?
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Geographic Context

Family Medicines within 10 mi
194
Per 100K population
55.0
County median income
$66,021
Nearest hospital
CORPUS CHRISTI MEDICAL CENTER,THE
3.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/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. Garza is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 13% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 7%).

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. Garza experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Garza performed 330 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. Garza receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Garza received a total of $8,086 from 39 companies across 474 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. Garza's costs compare to other family medicines in Corpus Christi?
Dr. Garza's average Medicare payment per service is $25. 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. Garza) 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 →