https://doctransparency.com/doctor/tx/corpus-christi/james-walker-1932218971
Medicare Enrolled

Dr. James Walker, M.D.

Family Medicine · Corpus Christi, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
6200 SARATOGA BLVD UNIT 5, Corpus Christi, TX 78414
3612252255
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1932218971 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. Walker 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. Walker? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Walker

Dr. James Walker is a family medicine in Corpus Christi, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Walker performed 12,366 Medicare services across 6,469 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Walker received a total of $4,993 from 35 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 324 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. Walker 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.

✓ 19 years in practice▲ Top 1% volume in TX$ $4,993 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
12,366
Medicare services
Top 1% in TX for family medicine
6,469
Unique beneficiaries
$23
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~651 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
Blood draw (venipuncture)1,103$8$10
Complete blood count (CBC) with differential1,070$8$16
Comprehensive metabolic blood panel1,052$10$16
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)1,009$84$200
Manual urinalysis test with examination using microscope, non-automated929$4$5
Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides)791$13$20
Creatine kinase (cardiac enzyme) level, total688$6$10
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)671$56$150
Magnesium level test644$6$10
Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring)633$9$15
Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test488$16$31
Thyroid hormone, t3 measurement, total368$14$21
Free thyroxine (T4) test352$9$14
Apolipoprotein level282$20$22
Creatinine test (kidney function)223$5$8
Urine microalbumin test (kidney screening)216$6$8
Vitamin D level test208$29$43
Flu vaccine administration135$29$40
Flu vaccine, high-dose131$71$75
Glutamyltransferase (liver enzyme) level121$7$15
Vitamin B-12 level test112$15$26
Annual wellness visit, follow-up102$126$215
Natriuretic peptide (heart and blood vessel protein) level70$38$50
Respiratory infectious agent detection by rna for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (covid 19), influenza a, influenza b, and respiratory syncytial virus, upper respiratory specimen, each reported as detected or not detected67$138$154
Prostate cancer screening; prostate specific antigen test (psa)65$19$27
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)63$134$250
Ferritin level test (iron stores)60$13$26
Insulin measurement, total56$10$20
Physician or allowed practitioner re-certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians a52$31$110
Uric acid level test49$4$8
PSA test (prostate cancer screening)44$18$27
Basic metabolic blood panel43$8$13
Physician or allowed practitioner certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians and39$38$120
Face-to-face behavioral counseling for obesity, 15 minutes38$25$40
Iron level test37$6$11
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead36$7$65
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle33$8$30
New patient office visit (45-59 min)32$90$250
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)29$31$75
Iron binding capacity test27$9$15
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min)26$126$300
Lactate dehydrogenase (enzyme) level24$6$10
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, 20 valent (pcv20), for intramuscular use22$281$315
Pneumonia vaccine administration22$30$40
Sed rate test (inflammation marker)20$3$4
C-reactive protein test (inflammation marker)19$5$8
Alpha-fetoprotein (afp) level, serum18$16$30
Folic acid level test18$14$27
Thyroxine (thyroid chemical), total16$7$10
Administration of vaccine13$14$30
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 ↗
$4,993
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $713/year across 7 years
Top 13% in TX for family medicine
35
Companies
324
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
$4,993 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,102
2023
$1,269
2022
$859
2021
$309
2020
$385
2019
$570
2018
$499

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Novo Nordisk Inc
$1,006
Amgen Inc.
$895
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$627
PFIZER INC.
$450
Lilly USA, LLC
$385
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$247
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$224
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$147
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$105
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$104
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$71
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$66
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$65
SANOFI PASTEUR INC.
$56
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$52
AbbVie Inc.
$49
Exact Sciences Corporation
$43
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$41
IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS US INC
$36
SHIELD THERAPEUTICS INC
$30
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$29
IBSA Pharma Inc.
$29
Radius Health, Inc.
$28
Phadia US Inc.
$22
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$22
Dexcom, Inc.
$21
Sanofi Pasteur Inc.
$21
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$17
Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC
$17
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$17
ABBVIE INC.
$16
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$15
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$14
Shield Therapeutics Inc
$14
VistaPharm, Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 50.6% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCRUFER · AIRSUPRA · AJOVY · AREXVY · Aimovig · BASAGLAR · BELSOMRA · BREZTRI · CAPVAXIVE · CHANTIX · CONTRAVE · Cologuard Collection Kit · Dexcom G6 Transmitter · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · EVENITY · Edarbi · FARXIGA · FLUBLOK QUADRIVALENT · FLUBLOK QUADRIVALENT NORTHERN HEMISPHERE · FLUZONE HIGH-DOSE · FLUZONE QUADRIVALENT NORTHERN HEMISPHERE · ImmunoCAP · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LYRICA · Livalo · MOUNJARO · NEXLETOL · Otezla · Ozempic · PAXLOVID · PNEUMOVAX 23 · PRALUENT · PRALUENT ALIROCUMAB INJECTION · PREVNAR - 13 · PREVNAR 13 · PREVNAR 20 · Prolia · QULIPTA · QUVIVIQ · RYBELSUS · Rybelsus · SEGLENTIS · SHINGRIX · SOLIQUA · SOLIQUA 100/33 · STEGLATRO · Saxenda · TOUJEO · TRADJENTA · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRINTELLIX · TRULICITY · Thyquidity · Tirosint · Tymlos · UBRELVY · Vascepa · Victoza · Wegovy · XIFAXAN
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.

Equivalent to $40 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a family medicine in Corpus Christi?
Compare family medicines in the Corpus Christi area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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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
4.9 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. Walker is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 1% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 13%), with 19 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

Is Dr. Walker experienced with blood draw (venipuncture)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Walker performed 1,103 blood draw (venipuncture) 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. Walker receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Walker received a total of $4,993 from 35 companies across 324 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. Walker's costs compare to other family medicines in Corpus Christi?
Dr. Walker's average Medicare payment per service is $23. 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. Walker) 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 →