Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Ramakrishna Chakilam, M.D

Pulmonary Disease · Corpus Christi, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
6102 PARKWAY DR, Corpus Christi, TX 78414
3612261908
In practice since 2008 (17 years)
NPI: 1649438193 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. Chakilam 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. Chakilam? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Chakilam

Dr. Ramakrishna Chakilam is a pulmonary disease in Corpus Christi, TX, with 17 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Chakilam performed 6,133 Medicare services across 2,803 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Chakilam received a total of $12,065 from 37 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 375 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pulmonary disease. 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. Chakilam 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.

✓ 17 years in practice▲ Top 2% volume in TX$ $12,065 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
6,133
Medicare services
Top 2% in TX for pulmonary disease
2,803
Unique beneficiaries
$74
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~361 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
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity2,757$62$217
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)1,112$96$319
Critical care, first 30-74 min358$166$1,022
Test to measure expiratory airflow and volume changes before and after medication administration310$30$172
Test to examine how well the lungs exchange gases308$44$160
Test to determine lung volumes using sensors277$42$156
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity224$102$406
Test for exercise-induced lung stress197$26$101
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity143$92$414
New patient office visit (45-59 min)138$129$483
Evaluation of use of breathing device92$13$49
Initial hospital admission, high complexity77$136$669
Biopsy of lung airway using an endoscope56$119$440
Aspiration of fluid from chest cavity using imaging guidance56$86$445
Smoking and tobacco use intensive counseling, 4-10 minutes28$14$44
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 ↗
$12,065
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,724/year across 7 years
Top 17% in TX for pulmonary disease
37
Companies
375
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
$7,022 (58.2%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$5,043 (41.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$5,667
2023
$737
2022
$1,662
2021
$1,482
2020
$882
2019
$913
2018
$721

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$4,878
Pulmonx Corporation
$1,445
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$1,288
Mylan Specialty L.P.
$1,236
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$762
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$667
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$365
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$191
Insmed, Inc.
$182
Grifols USA, LLC
$112
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$93
Baxter Healthcare
$91
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$84
United Therapeutics Corporation
$76
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$63
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$58
Electromed, Inc.
$58
Shire North American Group Inc
$52
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$43
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$37
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$34
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$26
Inogen, Inc.
$22
GENZYME CORPORATION
$19
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$19
Advanced Respiratory, Inc
$18
Harmony Biosciences LLC
$18
Genentech USA, Inc.
$17
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$17
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
Phadia US Inc.
$14
Apria Healthcare LLC
$14
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$13
Amgen Inc.
$12
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$12
Mallinckrodt LLC
$11
Veran Medical Technologies, Inc.
$4
Top 3 companies account for 63.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(7999) SRC Und · (8874) inCourage · ACTHAR · AIRSUPRA · ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · Adempas · Arikayce · BEVESPI AEROSPHERE · BREO · BREZTRI · BREZTRI AEROSPHERE · CHARTIS CATHETER · DUPIXENT · Da Vinci Surgical System · FARXIGA · FASENRA · Flexitouch Plus · GLASSIA · Hillrom - Life 2000 Ventilation System · Hillrom - Vest System Model 105 Home Care · INOGEN · INSPIRE · ImmunoCAP · KEYTRUDA · LONHALA MAGNAIR · Medela · NUCALA · NUZYRA · OFEV · OPSUMIT · OPSUMIT MACITENTAN · ORENITRAM · Perforomist · Prolastin-C Liquid · SMARTVEST · SPIRIVA RESPIMAT · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SYMBICORT · Spin · TEZSPIRE · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TYVASO · The VisiVest Airway Clearance System · UPTRAVI · VERQUVO · Veklury · Wakix · XARELTO · XIFAXAN · Xolair · YUPELRI · Yupelri · ZEPHYR DELIVERY CATHETER · ZEPHYR ENDOBRONCHIAL VALVE
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 (58%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $197 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a pulmonary disease in Corpus Christi?
Compare pulmonary diseases in the Corpus Christi area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse pulmonary diseases nearby

Geographic Context

Pulmonary Diseases within 10 mi
7
Per 100K population
2.0
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. Chakilam is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 2% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 17%), 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

Is Dr. Chakilam experienced with hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Chakilam performed 2,757 hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity 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. Chakilam receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Chakilam received a total of $12,065 from 37 companies across 375 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. Chakilam's costs compare to other pulmonary diseases in Corpus Christi?
Dr. Chakilam's average Medicare payment per service is $74. 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. Chakilam) 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 →