Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Joseph Merola, M.D., M.M.SC.

Dermatology · Dallas, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
5939 HARRY HINES BLVD, Dallas, TX 75235
2146452400
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1881807469 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. Merola 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Merola

Dr. Joseph Merola is a dermatology in Dallas, TX, with 18 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Merola performed 731 Medicare services across 455 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Merola received a total of $1,172,515 from 37 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 1155 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in dermatology. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Merola 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.

✓ 18 years in practice▲ 731 Medicare services$ $1,172,515 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
731
Medicare services
Bottom 17% in TX for dermatology
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
455
Unique beneficiaries
$44
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~41 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)260$75$403
Destruction of precancerous skin growths, 2-14243$2$35
Destruction of precancerous skin growth, 196$44$236
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)36$47$274
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)36$120$599
Skin biopsy, tangential33$20$156
Destruction of skin growths (warts/lesions), 1-1415$48$287
Punch biopsy, first skin growth12$35$204
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 ↗
$1,172,515
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $167,502/year across 7 years
Top 1% in TX for dermatology
37
Companies
1,155
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.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$933,723 (79.6%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$200,068 (17.1%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$38,725 (3.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$141,547
2023
$150,232
2022
$169,317
2021
$162,134
2020
$175,278
2019
$174,109
2018
$199,899

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$165,498
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$138,516
GENZYME CORPORATION
$95,643
Eli Lilly and Company
$82,907
AbbVie, Inc.
$68,682
Amgen Inc.
$62,943
UCB SA
$60,567
Novartis Pharma AG
$58,249
ABBVIE INC.
$51,670
UCB, Inc.
$48,379
Janssen Global Services, LLC
$43,153
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$40,977
LEO Pharma Inc.
$35,817
AbbVie Inc.
$29,898
PFIZER INC.
$25,146
Celgene Corporation
$23,196
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$21,686
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$17,219
LEO Pharma AS
$14,698
Biogen, Inc.
$14,552
NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
$13,969
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$13,288
Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH
$11,113
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$8,521
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$6,600
EMD Serono, Inc.
$4,125
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$3,238
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$3,023
Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc.
$2,387
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$2,275
SANOFI US SERVICES INC.
$1,464
AstraZeneca UK Limited
$1,074
Janssen Research & Development, LLC
$999
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$638
Incyte Corporation
$325
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$50
Lilly USA, LLC
$30
Top 3 companies account for 34.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADBRY · AIN457A_COSENTYX_DERMATOLOGY · BENLYSTA · Bimzelx · COSENTYX · Cimzia · DUPIXENT · EBGLYSS · ENBREL · ENSTILAR · Enbrel · HUMIRA · Humira · ILUMYA · LEVULAN KERASTICK · LUMAKRAS · OPZELURA · Otezla · RINVOQ · SAPHNELO · SECUKINUMAB_COSENTYX_DERMATOLOGY · SKYRIZI · SPEVIGO · STELARA · Sotyktu · TALTZ · TREMFYA · Tremfya · XELJANZ · Zoryve
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 (80%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 1% for dermatology in TX.

Equivalent to $160,399 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a dermatology in Dallas?
Compare dermatologys in the Dallas area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse dermatologys nearby

Geographic Context

Dermatologys within 10 mi
219
Per 100K population
8.4
County median income
$74,149
Nearest hospital
PARKLAND HEALTH & HOSPITAL SYSTEM
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. Merola is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (consulting-driven, top 1%), with 18 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. Merola experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Merola performed 260 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. Merola receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Merola received a total of $1,172,515 from 37 companies across 1,155 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. Merola's costs compare to other dermatologys in Dallas?
Dr. Merola's average Medicare payment per service is $44. 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. Merola) 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 →