Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Jack Cortese, M.D.

Nephrology · Corpus Christi, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1521 S STAPLES ST, Corpus Christi, TX 78404
3618849244
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1659374577 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. Cortese 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. Cortese? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Cortese

Dr. Jack Cortese is a nephrology specialist in Corpus Christi, TX, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cortese performed 1,020 Medicare services across 362 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cortese received a total of $10,950 from 40 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 348 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in nephrology. 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. Cortese 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.

✓ 20 years in practice ▲ 1,020 Medicare services $10,950 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,020
Medicare services
Bottom 45% in TX for nephrology
362
Unique beneficiaries
$142
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~51 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
Dialysis services, 4 or more physician visits per month (20 years or older) 297 $266 $550
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity 267 $60 $173
Hemodialysis, single evaluation 107 $54 $153
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 92 $60 $163
Dialysis services, 2-3 physician visits per month (20 years or older) 80 $220 $450
Initial hospital admission, high complexity 73 $133 $384
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 38 $95 $220
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity 35 $86 $226
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 31 $143 $382
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 ↗
$10,950
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,564/year across 7 years
Top 9% in TX for nephrology
40
Companies
348
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
$8,759 (80.0%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$2,191 (20.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,441
2023
$2,504
2022
$1,757
2021
$1,520
2020
$2,475
2019
$569
2018
$685

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$3,717
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$620
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$613
Nuwellis, Inc.
$545
Outset Medical Inc
$543
Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc.
$509
Amgen Inc.
$460
Relypsa, Inc.
$408
Corcept Therapeutics
$287
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$267
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$250
Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc.
$246
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$205
Vifor Pharma, Inc.
$196
CALLIDITAS THERAPEUTICS US INC.
$183
Abbott Laboratories
$180
Mallinckrodt LLC
$157
OPKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$144
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$127
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$124
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$116
BioFire Diagnostics, LLC
$111
Travere Therapeutics, Inc.
$110
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$105
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$105
CSL Behring
$95
AKEBIA THERAPEUTICS INC
$85
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$82
Ardelyx, Inc.
$59
Nevro Corp.
$41
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$37
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
$34
NxStage Medical, Inc.
$33
Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.
$31
Baxter Healthcare
$26
Novo Nordisk Inc
$24
Melinta Therapeutics, LLC
$22
Lilly USA, LLC
$21
ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$20
Shield Therapeutics Inc
$13
Top 3 companies account for 45.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCRUFER · ACTHAR · AJOVY · ANDEXXA · AQUADEX SMARTFLOW CONSOLE · AURYXIA · Aquadex Smartflow Console · Auryxia · BENLYSTA · BEXSERO · BioFire FilmArray · CARDIOMEMS · FARXIGA · Fabhalta · GARDASIL · IBSRELA · JARDIANCE · JESDUVROQ · JYNARQUE · KRYSTEXXA · Kcentra · Kerendia · Kimyrsa · Korlym · LOKELMA · LUPKYNIS · MOUNJARO · MitraClip System · NEXLETOL · NEXLIZET · OFIRMEV · Omnia · PURIFIED CORTROPHIN GEL · Parsabiv · RAYALDEE · Rayaldee · Renal - PrisMax System · SAMSCA · System One · TARPEYO · TAVNEOS · TERLIVAZ · Tavneos · UPTRAVI · Velphoro · Veltassa · Wegovy
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 (80%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 9% for nephrology in TX.

Equivalent to $1,074 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a nephrology specialist in Corpus Christi?
Compare nephrologists in the Corpus Christi area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Nephrologists within 10 mi
13
Per 100K population
3.7
County median income
$66,021
Nearest hospital
CHRISTUS SPOHN HOSPITAL CORPUS CHRISTI
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. Cortese is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 9% of TX peers, with 20 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. Cortese experienced with dialysis services, 4 or more physician visits per month (20 years or older)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Cortese performed 297 dialysis services, 4 or more physician visits per month (20 years or older) 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. Cortese receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Cortese received a total of $10,950 from 40 companies across 348 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. Cortese's costs compare to other nephrologists in Corpus Christi?
Dr. Cortese's average Medicare payment per service is $142. 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. Cortese) 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 →