Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Ruben Almanza, MD

Family Medicine · Corpus Christi, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
5446 LIPES BLVD STE 101, Corpus Christi, TX 78413
3619926100
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1003815499 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. Almanza 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. Almanza? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Almanza

Dr. Ruben Almanza is a family medicine in Corpus Christi, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Almanza performed 1,178 Medicare services across 843 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Almanza received a total of $15,395 from 51 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 790 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. Almanza 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▲ Top 24% volume in TX$ $15,395 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,178
Medicare services
Top 24% in TX for family medicine
843
Unique beneficiaries
$67
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~59 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 (20-29 min)306$52$182
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)251$83$266
Annual wellness visit, follow-up122$123$282
Annual depression screening89$17$50
Flu vaccine administration57$30$48
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)53$126$357
Influenza vaccine, quadrivalent, preservative free, 0.5 ml dosage43$22$60
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, 20 valent (pcv20), for intramuscular use37$283$850
Pneumonia vaccine administration36$30$44
Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of established patient that may not require presence of healthcare professional30$15$55
Detection test by immunoassay technique for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus26$33$144
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle25$9$41
Detection test by nucleic acid for multiple types influenza virus20$94$135
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead18$10$41
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)18$41$110
Smoking and tobacco use intensive counseling, more than 10 minutes17$26$70
Manual urinalysis test with examination using microscope, non-automated15$4$31
Influenza vaccine, quadrivalent, 0.5 ml dosage15$20$100
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 ↗
$15,395
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $2,199/year across 7 years
Top 2% in TX for family medicine
51
Companies
790
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
$15,395 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$2,237
2023
$1,676
2022
$1,683
2021
$2,229
2020
$2,012
2019
$3,122
2018
$2,436

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$2,149
Lilly USA, LLC
$2,065
Novo Nordisk Inc
$1,972
Amgen Inc.
$1,875
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$711
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$602
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$550
PFIZER INC.
$543
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$397
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$391
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$370
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$344
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$303
Nevro Corp.
$289
Allergan, Inc.
$275
Allergan Inc.
$240
Shire North American Group Inc
$224
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$217
AbbVie Inc.
$196
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$195
Eisai Inc.
$161
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$160
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$130
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$127
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$125
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$68
Genentech USA, Inc.
$57
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$54
Upsher-Smith Laboratories LLC
$53
Exact Sciences Corporation
$49
UPSHER-SMITH LABORATORIES LLC
$46
Abbott Laboratories
$38
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$32
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$31
OPTOS, INC.
$30
ABBVIE INC.
$30
Medtronic, Inc.
$29
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$27
SHIELD THERAPEUTICS INC
$27
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$26
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$24
Alcon Laboratories Inc
$23
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$22
Boston Scientific Corporation
$18
Dexcom, Inc.
$17
EISAI INC.
$16
Melinta Therapeutics, Inc.
$16
Lundbeck LLC
$15
Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA
$13
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$12
DEXCOM, INC.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 40.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCRUFER · ADVAIR · AIRSUPRA · AJOVY · AREXVY · Aimovig · BASAGLAR · BELSOMRA · BREZTRI · BYSTOLIC · Baxdela · Belviq · CHANTIX · COMIRNATY · Cologuard Collection Kit · DEXCOM G6 TRANSMITTER · Dayvigo · Dexcom G6 Transmitter · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · ENTRESTO · EUCRISA · Edarbi · FARXIGA · FREESTYLE LIBRE 2 · FreeStyle Libre 2 · GEMTESA · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · INVOKANA · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LINZESS · LYRICA · MOUNJARO · MYDAYIS · Mitigare · Monaco · Myrbetriq · NEXLETOL · NURTEC ODT · NUVENT · NUZYRA · OFEV · Omnia · Otezla · Ozempic · PAXLOVID · PREVNAR 13 · PREVNAR 20 · QULIPTA · REXULTI · RYBELSUS · ReSTOR · Repatha · Rybelsus · SHINGRIX · SIVEXTRO · SOLIQUA · SOLIQUA 100/33 · STEGLATRO · SYMBICORT · Saxenda · Seglentis · Senza · TOSYMRA · TOSYMRA SUMATRIPTAN NASAL SPRAY · TOUJEO · TRADJENTA · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRINTELLIX · TRULANCE · TRULICITY · UBRELVY · VOQUEZNA · VRAYLAR · VYVANSE · Vascepa · Veozah · Victoza · Wegovy · XARELTO · XIFAXAN · Xofluza
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 2% for family medicine in TX.

Equivalent to $1,307 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
3.4 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. Almanza is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 24% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 2%), with 20 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. Almanza experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Almanza performed 306 office visit, established patient (20-29 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. Almanza receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Almanza received a total of $15,395 from 51 companies across 790 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. Almanza's costs compare to other family medicines in Corpus Christi?
Dr. Almanza's average Medicare payment per service is $67. 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. Almanza) 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 →