https://doctransparency.com/doctor/tx/denton/galen-howard-1558483552
Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Galen Howard, M.D.

Urology Physician · Denton, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
3537 S INTERSTATE 35 E STE 315, Denton, TX 76210
9403650706
In practice since 2007 (19 years)
NPI: 1558483552 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. Howard 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. Howard? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Howard

Dr. Galen Howard is an urology physician in Denton, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Howard performed 4,750 Medicare services across 2,873 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Howard received a total of $6,765 from 50 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 322 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urology physician. 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. Howard 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 25% volume in TX$ $6,765 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
4,750
Medicare services
Top 25% in TX for urology physician
2,873
Unique beneficiaries
$57
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~250 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
Automated urinalysis948$2$5
Leuprolide injectable, camcevi, 1 mg842$68$178
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)612$63$183
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)487$92$259
Blood draw (venipuncture)269$8$17
PSA test (prostate cancer screening)241$18$37
New patient office visit (45-59 min)234$119$336
Diagnostic exam of bladder and urethra using an endoscope215$176$495
Bladder ultrasound after voiding121$8$22
Urine culture, bacterial identification117$8$16
Urine culture, bacterial colony count97$8$16
Bacterial culture, aerobic70$8$16
Antibiotic sensitivity test70$8$17
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity55$62$159
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity47$102$262
Electronic assessment of bladder emptying44$10$28
Biopsy of prostate gland39$181$491
Ultrasound scan of pelvic region through rectum39$102$282
Simple bladder irrigation and/or instillation31$55$156
Shock wave crushing of kidney stones30$409$1,448
Testosterone (hormone) level, total30$25$52
New patient office visit (30-44 min)30$77$226
Removal of prostate gland using an electrocautery knife through urethra with control of bleeding using an endoscope25$549$1,447
Psa (prostate specific antigen) measurement, free18$18$37
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle14$11$29
Injection, garamycin, gentamicin, up to 80 mg13$2$6
Administration of hormonal anti-neoplastic chemotherapy under skin or into muscle12$26$70
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 ↗
$6,765
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $966/year across 7 years
Top 29% in TX for urology physician
50
Companies
322
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
$6,574 (97.2%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$192 (2.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,651
2023
$1,871
2022
$1,515
2021
$575
2020
$298
2019
$521
2018
$334

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$1,012
Boston Scientific Corporation
$592
Axonics, Inc.
$494
PFIZER INC.
$438
Accord Healthcare, Inc.
$350
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$337
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$292
ACCORD HEALTHCARE, INC.
$274
Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC
$241
Myovant Sciences Inc.
$232
180 Medical, Inc.
$224
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$215
PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation
$214
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$149
UROGEN PHARMA, INC.
$122
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$93
AbbVie, Inc.
$90
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$80
Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$68
Innovation Technologies Inc
$66
COLOPLAST CORP
$64
Amgen Inc.
$63
Coloplast Corp
$63
Axonics Modulation Technologies, Inc.
$61
Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$61
BK Medical Holding Company Inc.
$59
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$58
BioTissue Holdings, Inc.
$54
Olympus America Inc.
$52
ABBVIE INC.
$51
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$50
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$42
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$40
NeoTract Inc.
$39
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$37
UroGen Pharma, Inc.
$37
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS, INC.
$32
Tolmar, Inc.
$32
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$31
Cook Medical LLC
$30
Blue Earth Diagnostics Limited
$30
Tempus AI, Inc
$30
Teleflex LLC
$29
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$27
CIVCO Medical Instruments
$23
Endo USA, Inc.
$21
Telix Pharmaceuticals
$20
Medtronic, Inc.
$19
AbbVie Inc.
$19
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 31.0% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADSTILADRIN · ALTIS · AMS · AQUABEAM SYSTEM · AVEED · Androgel · Axonics · Axonics r-SNM System · Axumin · BALVERSA · BOTOX · Bulkamid · CAMCEVI · Cook Medical Lasers · Dormia · EDEX · ELIGARD · ERLEADA · EVENITY · Erleada · Exparel · GEMTESA · GENERAL ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION · GENERAL ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL BPH · GENTLECATH · ILLUCCIX · INTERSTIM · IRRISEPT · JELMYTO · KEYTRUDA · LUPRON DEPOT · LYNPARZA · LithoVue · Luja Coude · Lupron · Lupron Depot · MYRBETRIQ · Medilas H UroPulse · Moses 550 DFL · Myrbetriq · NEOX · NOCDURNA · Nubeqa · ORGOVYX · OTREXUP · Olympus Laser Devices · Otrexup · PROVENGE · PYLARIFY · RESONANCE · REZUM · Rezum Generator · SEGLENTIS · SOLTIVE · SpeediCath · Titan · Trelstar · UROLIFT · UroLift · XGEVA · XIAFLEX · XTANDI · XYOSTED · Xtandi · bk3000 · bk3500 & bk5000 Ultrasound System · rezum Generator
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 (97%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $142 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a urology physician in Denton?
Compare urology physicians in the Denton area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Urology Physicians within 10 mi
69
Per 100K population
7.3
County median income
$108,185
Nearest hospital
MEDICAL CITY DENTON
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. Howard is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 25% in TX), and low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Howard experienced with automated urinalysis?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Howard performed 948 automated urinalysis 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. Howard receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Howard received a total of $6,765 from 50 companies across 322 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. Howard's costs compare to other urology physicians in Denton?
Dr. Howard's average Medicare payment per service is $57. 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. Howard) 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 →