Dr. Tu Cao, DO
What this data tells you about Dr. Cao
Dr. Tu Cao is a cardiovascular disease in El Paso, TX, with 14 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cao performed 1,485 Medicare services across 853 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cao received a total of $98,725 from 38 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 539 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. 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. Cao 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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.
| Procedure | Volume | Avg. paid | Avg. submitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity | 407 | $89 | $289 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity | 215 | $61 | $198 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 155 | $61 | $202 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead | 136 | $10 | $58 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 106 | $90 | $298 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test | 84 | $43 | $155 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity | 75 | $96 | $369 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity | 50 | $122 | $561 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic | 45 | $127 | $735 |
| Nuclear medicine studies of heart muscle at rest and with stress and spect | 35 | $290 | $1,212 |
| Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 minutes | 33 | $9 | $77 |
| Technetium tc-99m sestamibi, diagnostic, per study dose | 33 | $52 | $544 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 30 | $109 | $456 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with supervision and review by physician | 24 | $47 | $272 |
| Cardiac catheterization | 16 | $204 | $920 |
| Initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes | 16 | $59 | $282 |
| Electrocardiogram (ecg) 2-day continuous with review and report by health care professional | 14 | $49 | $324 |
| Heart muscle strain imaging | 11 | $8 | $144 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (80%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 6% for cardiovascular disease in TX.
Geographic Context
0.0 mi
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | Weekly updates |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | Monthly updates |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not public | N/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. Cao is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 6%).
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. Cao experienced with hospital follow-up visit, high complexity?
Does Dr. Cao receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Cao's costs compare to other cardiovascular diseases in El Paso?
What does Data Coverage mean?
Is this data up to date?
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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.
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