Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Christopher Bell, MD

Surgery · Dallas,, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
7777 FOREST LN, Dallas,, TX 75230
9725667860
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1407818479 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. Bell 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. Bell? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Bell

Dr. Christopher Bell is a surgery in Dallas,, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Bell performed 450 Medicare services across 319 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Bell received a total of $44,001 from 51 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 271 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in surgery. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Bell 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 18% volume in TX$ $44,001 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
450
Medicare services
Top 18% in TX for surgery
319
Unique beneficiaries
$115
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~22 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)217$91$220
New patient office visit (45-59 min)84$104$333
Initial hospital admission, high complexity53$131$421
Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity35$37$147
Repair of groin hernia using an endoscope19$305$1,130
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min)18$158$418
Injection of agent into vein to assess blood flow of skin graft or flap12$41$227
Laparoscopic gallbladder removal12$492$1,451
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 ↗
$44,001
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $6,286/year across 7 years
Top 6% in TX for surgery
51
Companies
271
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$34,198 (77.7%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$7,725 (17.6%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$1,587 (3.6%)
Other
Charitable contributions, space rental, and other categories
$491 (1.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$11,764
2023
$9,890
2022
$367
2021
$2,502
2020
$6,071
2019
$3,754
2018
$9,654

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$25,004
Enterra Medical, Inc.
$5,441
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$4,359
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$3,008
Davol Inc.
$1,043
Stryker Corporation
$857
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$587
Ethicon US, LLC
$540
TELA Bio, Inc.
$263
Kerecis Limited
$243
Allergan Inc.
$231
Biom'Up France SAS
$198
Medtronic, Inc.
$194
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$189
Novo Nordisk Inc
$154
Dilon Technologies, Inc.
$139
Innovation Technologies Inc
$122
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$90
ACELL, INC.
$81
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$80
Allergan, Inc.
$71
Access Pro Medical, LLC
$70
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$70
Covidien LP
$66
Lilly USA, LLC
$64
Shire North American Group Inc
$59
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$54
Baudax Bio Inc.
$54
Teleflex LLC
$53
CONMED Corporation
$50
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$50
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$41
KCI USA, Inc.
$41
Molnlycke Health Care US, LLC
$39
Aroa Biosurgery Incorporated
$37
Bolder Surgical LLC
$34
Cook Medical LLC
$34
DAVOL INC.
$32
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
$30
KVK-Tech, Inc.
$27
JustRight Surgical LLC
$24
Abbott Laboratories
$22
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$22
Ambu Inc.
$21
Evoke Pharma, Inc.
$21
Sanara MedTech Inc.
$21
EISAI INC.
$15
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$15
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$14
Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC
$13
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 79.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACell · AIRSEAL · ANDEXXA · ANJESO · ARISTA AH FlexiTip · BD MAX · BIO-A Tissue Reinforcement · BRIDION · Belviq · CONTRAVE · CYTAL · CellerateRx · ClearSight System · Cook Medical CBDE · Cresemba · DERMABOND · DEXTILE · Da Vinci Surgical System · Dextile · ENDOFLIP · EOHILIA · EXPAREL · Echelon Flex · Endo GIA · Enseal X1 5mm · Exparel · GATTEX · GIMOTI · Grafix PL PRIME · HEMOBLAST BELLOWS · HemoBlast Bellows · IRRISEPT · JustRight Sealer · JustRight Sealer and CoolSeal Sealer · Kerecis Omega3 SurgiClose · LIGASURE · LINX REFLUX MANAGEMENT SYSTEM · LINX Reflux Management System · MONOCRYL · Matriderm · Mega Soft · Mepilex Border Post-Op · NASCOBAL · Octrode SCS Leads · OviTex 2S · OviTex Reinforced Bioscaffold With Permanent Polymer (OviTex) · Ovitex · Ozempic · PICO 7 · PROGRIP · Phasix · Phasix Mesh · ProGrip · RELISTOR · RELISTOR ORAL · SEGLENTIS · SIGNIA · SPY-PHI SYSTEM · STRATAFIX · STRATTICE · STRATTICE RECONSTRUCTIVE TISSUE MATRIX BPS · SURGIMEND · SYNECOR Biomaterial · SYNFIX · Saxenda · Signia · Stravix · Titan SGS · Titan SGS Standard Gastric Stapler · V-Loc · VAC VERAFLO · Wegovy · ZEPBOUND · Zynrelef
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 →

The majority of payments (78%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in surgery and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 6% for surgery in TX.

Equivalent to $9,778 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a surgery in Dallas,?
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Geographic Context

Surgerys within 10 mi
417
Per 100K population
16.0
County median income
$74,149
Nearest hospital
MEDICAL CITY DALLAS HOSPITAL
0.0 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. Bell is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 18% in TX), and high industry engagement (speaking/promotional, top 6%), 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. Bell experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Bell performed 217 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. Bell receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Bell received a total of $44,001 from 51 companies across 271 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. Bell's costs compare to other surgerys in Dallas,?
Dr. Bell's average Medicare payment per service is $115. 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. Bell) 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 →