Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Ralph Sharman, M.D.

Family Medicine · Dripping Springs, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
170 BENNEY LANE, Dripping Springs, TX 78620
5128582997
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1548297096 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. Sharman 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. Sharman? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Sharman

Dr. Ralph Sharman is a family medicine in Dripping Springs, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Sharman performed 2,508 Medicare services across 2,005 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Sharman received a total of $5,536 from 39 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 324 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. Sharman 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 10% volume in TX$ $5,536 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,508
Medicare services
Top 10% in TX for family medicine
2,005
Unique beneficiaries
$66
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~132 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)903$79$260
Annual wellness visit, follow-up343$124$264
Annual alcohol misuse screening, 5 to 15 minutes342$18$38
Annual depression screening300$18$38
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)130$57$184
Flu vaccine administration99$30$63
Flu vaccine, high-dose98$72$144
Detection test by immunoassay technique for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and influenza37$57$107
Urinalysis, manual31$3$7
Pneumonia vaccine administration31$30$63
Annual wellness visit; includes a personalized prevention plan of service (pps), initial visit27$158$337
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead24$9$30
Physician or allowed practitioner re-certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians a23$29$85
New patient office visit (45-59 min)22$89$338
Transitional care management services for problem of at least moderate complexity22$156$419
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, 20 valent (pcv20), for intramuscular use21$282$571
Physician or allowed practitioner certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians and21$38$107
Initial preventive physical examination; face-to-face visit, services limited to new beneficiary during the first 12 months of medicare enrollment19$158$338
Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for streptococcus, group a (strep)15$16$33
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 ↗
$5,536
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $791/year across 7 years
Top 11% in TX for family medicine
39
Companies
324
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
$5,536 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,263
2023
$1,450
2022
$809
2021
$1,053
2020
$221
2019
$422
2018
$319

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$747
Lilly USA, LLC
$460
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$422
PFIZER INC.
$417
Novo Nordisk Inc
$328
ABBVIE INC.
$296
AbbVie Inc.
$286
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$247
Abbott Laboratories
$231
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$224
Amgen Inc.
$220
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$194
Exact Sciences Corporation
$133
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$130
Bausch Health US, LLC
$129
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$110
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$101
CMP Pharma, Inc.
$84
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$78
Dexcom, Inc.
$77
Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$77
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$61
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$49
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$48
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$46
Noven Therapeutics, LLC
$39
Shire North American Group Inc
$39
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$37
Genentech USA, Inc.
$34
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$28
Allergan Inc.
$24
Cranial Technologies, Inc
$21
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$20
Medtronic, Inc.
$19
Shield Therapeutics Inc
$18
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$17
Allergan, Inc.
$17
Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC
$16
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 29.4% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCRUFER · ADVAIR · AIRSUPRA · ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · APLENZIN · AREXVY · Aimovig · BREZTRI · CHANTIX · CaroSpir · Cologuard Collection Kit · Dexcom G6 Transmitter · Doc Band · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · ENTRESTO · EVENITY · FARXIGA · FREESTYLE LIBRE 2 · FREESTYLE LIBRE 3 · FreeStyle Libre 2 · GVOKE PFS · HUMIRA · INVOKANA · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LINZESS · LYRICA · MAVYRET · MOUNJARO · MYRBETRIQ · Myrbetriq · NEXLETOL · NOCDURNA · NURTEC ODT · OCTRODE · Otezla · Otovel · Ozempic · PAXLOVID · PNEUMOVAX 23 · PRALUENT · PREVNAR 13 · PREVNAR 20 · PROCLAIM · Penta SCS Leads · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · QULIPTA · RYBELSUS · Repatha · Rybelsus · SYMBICORT · SYNCHROMEDII · Saxenda · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRINTELLIX · TRULICITY · UBRELVY · UNITHROID · VRAYLAR · VYVANSE · Vascepa · Veozah · Victoza · WELLBUTRIN · Wegovy · XARELTO · XIFAXAN · XYOSTED · Xelstrym · Xofluza · ZEPBOUND · ZIO XT Patch
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.

Equivalent to $221 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a family medicine in Dripping Springs?
Compare family medicines in the Dripping Springs area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse family medicines nearby

Geographic Context

Family Medicines within 10 mi
422
Per 100K population
164.6
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 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. Sharman is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 10% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 11%), 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. Sharman experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Sharman performed 903 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. Sharman receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Sharman received a total of $5,536 from 39 companies across 324 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. Sharman's costs compare to other family medicines in Dripping Springs?
Dr. Sharman's average Medicare payment per service is $66. 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. Sharman) 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 →