Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Christopher Pickett, M.D.

Cardiovascular Disease · Fort Sam Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
3551 ROGER BROOKE DR, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234
2109162460
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1609072693 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. Pickett 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. Pickett

Dr. Christopher Pickett is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Fort Sam Houston, TX, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Pickett performed 1,949 Medicare services across 1,357 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Pickett received a total of $11,358 from 26 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 191 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. Pickett 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 ▲ 1,949 Medicare services $11,358 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,949
Medicare services
Bottom 49% in TX for cardiovascular disease
1,357
Unique beneficiaries
$96
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~108 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.

Procedure Volume Avg. paid Avg. submitted
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity 423 $90 $252
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) 289 $126 $347
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead 204 $10 $50
Critical care, first 30-74 min 123 $158 $551
Initial hospital admission, high complexity 114 $130 $492
Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 minutes 100 $9 $32
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 83 $159 $498
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 80 $98 $264
Echocardiogram, transthoracic 48 $138 $537
Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with review by physician 45 $11 $39
Nuclear medicine studies of heart muscle at rest and with stress and spect 43 $56 $197
Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with supervision by physician 42 $16 $59
Cardiac catheterization 41 $171 $819
Heart muscle strain imaging 40 $28 $103
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity 38 $61 $176
Insertion of tube in right and left heart chambers and coronary artery for diagnosis with review by radiologist 35 $245 $1,147
Coronary stent placement 26 $435 $1,503
Ultrasound of heart, follow-up 26 $19 $69
Drug infusion during cardiac catheterization 21 $74 $276
Ultrasound evaluation of heart blood vessel during diagnosis or treatment, initial vessel 21 $46 $569
Ultrasound evaluation of heart blood vessel or graft with review by radiologist, initial vessel 18 $70 $542
Heart rhythm review and interpretation of continous external ekg over 8-15 days 17 $20 $66
Heart rhythm recording of continous external ekg over 8-15 days 16 $9 $38
Critical care, each additional 30 minutes 16 $82 $277
Replacement of aortic valve through the skin and femoral artery 14 $559 $3,365
3d radiographic procedure 14 $18 $180
Heart rhythm review, and interpretation of continous external ekg over more than 48 hours up to 7 days 12 $17 $60
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.
7.7% high complexity
12.1% medium
80.2% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$11,358
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,623/year across 7 years
Top 29% in TX for cardiovascular disease
26
Companies
191
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
$11,358 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,083
2023
$1,169
2022
$2,082
2021
$456
2020
$920
2019
$2,704
2018
$2,944

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Abbott Laboratories
$3,530
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$1,420
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$1,270
Boston Scientific Corporation
$1,198
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,001
ABIOMED
$947
Inari Medical, Inc.
$493
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$373
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$219
Acist Medical Systems, Inc.
$182
Penumbra, Inc.
$150
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$138
Stryker Corporation
$112
CARDIVA MEDICAL, INC.
$41
HeartFlow, Inc.
$37
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$34
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$31
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$25
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$25
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$23
AltaThera Pharmaceuticals LLC
$23
Teleflex LLC
$22
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$22
AGEPHA Pharma FZ LLC
$16
Chiesi USA, Inc.
$15
Cook Medical LLC
$13
Top 3 companies account for 54.8% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AMPLATZER Occluders · AVVIGO Guidance System · AngioJet Ultra 5000A · CARDIVA VASCADE 5F VCS · CARDIVA VASCADE MVP VVCS 6-12F · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · CVI Consumables · Carto 3 System · CoreValve Evolut · ENSITE · EVOLUTION · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · FFRct · FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER · GENERAL ATHERECTOMY · GUIDELINER · Hi-Torque Pilot guide wire · Impella · Indigo · JARDIANCE · KENGREAL · LEQVIO · LODOCO · LOTUS EDGE · LifeVest · Mitra Clip system · NAVITOR · OptiCross · PRALUENT · ROTABLATOR · S · Sotalol Hydrochloride · T2 · VERQUVO · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN FLX · XARELTO · Xience Alpine cornary stent system · Xience Sierra Coronary Stent System · 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 $583 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a cardiovascular disease specialist in Fort Sam Houston?
Compare cardiologists in the Fort Sam Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Cardiologists within 10 mi
150
Per 100K population
7.4
County median income
$70,571
Nearest hospital
Brooke Army Medical Center (FT Sam Houston)
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. Pickett is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 18 years of NPI registration.

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. Pickett experienced with hospital follow-up visit, high complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Pickett performed 423 hospital follow-up visit, high complexity 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. Pickett receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Pickett received a total of $11,358 from 26 companies across 191 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. Pickett's costs compare to other cardiologists in Fort Sam Houston?
Dr. Pickett's average Medicare payment per service is $96. 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. Pickett) 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 →