Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Megan Tholen, OD

Optometrist · Dripping Springs, TX
Low-engagement
1433 W HIGHWAY 290, Dripping Springs, TX 78620
5128581766
In practice since 2015 (10 years)
NPI: 1619359429 verify on NPPES ↗
High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 3 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. Tholen 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. Tholen? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Tholen

Dr. Megan Tholen is an optometrist in Dripping Springs, TX, with 10 years in practice.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Tholen received a total of $686 from 8 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 14 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optometrist. 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. Tholen is 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.

✓ 10 years in practice$ $686 industry payments

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$686
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $114/year across 6 years
Bottom 43% in TX for optometrist
8
Companies
14
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
$561 (81.8%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$125 (18.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$135
2023
$13
2022
$269
2020
$56
2019
$88
2018
$125

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Alcon Vision LLC
$175
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$135
NotalVision
$125
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$117
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$54
Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
$39
MacuLogix, Inc.
$27
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 63.5% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AIR OPTIX · AdaptDx · Clareon · EYLEA · ForeseeHome · INFUSE · None Specified · One Series Ultra IOL Delivery System
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 (82%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for a optometrist in Dripping Springs?
Compare optometrists in the Dripping Springs area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse optometrists nearby

Geographic Context

Optometrists within 10 mi
175
Per 100K population
68.2
County median income
$85,827
Nearest hospital
ASCENSION SETON SOUTHWEST
11.2 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry✓ NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment✓ PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data— No dataN/A
Industry Payments✓ Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/A

This provider has data in 3 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of High. This measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Tholen is a optometrist, and low-engagement industry engagement.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Dr. Tholen receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Tholen received a total of $686 from 8 companies across 14 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.
What does Data Coverage mean?
Data Coverage (currently High for Dr. Tholen) 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 →

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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 ↗, 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 →