Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Cheryl McDonald, M.D.

Infectious Disease · Fort Worth, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Speaking/Promotional
1125 COLLEGE AVE, Fort Worth, TX 76104
8178109810
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1013982511 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. McDonald 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. McDonald

Dr. Cheryl McDonald is an infectious disease in Fort Worth, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. McDonald performed 34,794 Medicare services across 1,129 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. McDonald received a total of $193,915 from 36 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 717 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in infectious disease. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. McDonald 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.

✓ 20 years in practice▲ Top 4% volume in TX$ $193,915 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
34,794
Medicare services
Top 4% in TX for infectious disease
1,129
Unique beneficiaries
$31
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~1,740 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
Immune globulin infusion (Gammagard)14,940$36$298
Injection, dalbavancin, 5 mg12,300$12$43
Injection, immune globulin (panzyga), intravenous, non-lyophilized (e.g., liquid), 500 mg4,370$52$252
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity727$62$250
Infusion into a vein for therapy, prevention, or diagnosis, each additional hour578$16$50
Infusion into a vein for therapy, prevention, or diagnosis, 1 hour or less570$50$158
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity430$93$227
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)288$93$225
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity134$101$297
Injection of additional new drug or substance into vein122$12$55
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)115$61$148
Initial hospital admission, high complexity94$137$434
New patient office visit (45-59 min)42$127$349
Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of established patient that may not require presence of healthcare professional32$18$54
Collection of blood sample from central venous tube28$23$55
Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity24$39$89
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.
46.2% high complexity
48.3% medium
5.5% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$193,915
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $27,702/year across 7 years
Top 3% in TX for infectious disease
36
Companies
717
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$175,717 (90.6%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$11,047 (5.7%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$7,151 (3.7%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$36,039
2023
$27,419
2022
$17,887
2021
$15,244
2020
$11,873
2019
$49,574
2018
$35,878

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$113,048
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$52,537
Insmed, Inc.
$14,720
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$4,982
ViiV Healthcare Company
$2,155
PFIZER INC.
$1,523
Theratechnologies Inc.
$918
Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$621
EMD Serono, Inc.
$519
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$504
Shionogi Inc
$493
ABBVIE INC.
$358
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$271
Janssen Products, LP
$185
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$133
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$126
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$113
Napo Pharmaceuticals Inc
$98
AbbVie Inc.
$89
Grifols USA, LLC
$72
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company
$52
Amgen Inc.
$49
MAYNE PHARMA INC.
$49
AIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
$33
NESTLE HEALTHCARE NUTRITION INC.
$33
Melinta Therapeutics, LLC
$30
Octapharma USA, Inc.
$29
TETRAPHASE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$26
Eurofins Viracor, LLC
$25
Genentech USA, Inc.
$23
ConvaTec Inc.
$22
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$18
VYERA PHARMACEUTICALS, LLC
$16
Pharming Healthcare, Inc.
$16
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$15
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$12
Top 3 companies account for 93.0% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ANGIOVAC · APRETUDE · AVSOLA · AVYCAZ · Actemra · Arikayce · Biktarvy · CABENUVA · CRESEMBA · Cresemba · DALVANCE · DELSTRIGO · DIFICID · DOVATO · Daraprim · EGRIFTA · Fetroja · GATTEX · Gamunex-C · HYQVIA · INNOVAMATRIX AC · ISENTRESS · JULUCA · Kimyrsa · LIVTENCITY · MK-8591A · Mytesi · NUZYRA · OCTAGAM IMMUNE GLOBULIN (HUMAN) · PANZYGA · PIFELTRO · PREVYMIS · PREZCOBIX · PREZISTA · REBYOTA · RUCONEST · SEROSTIM · SHINGRIX · SYMTUZA · Serostim · Symtuza · TEFLARO · TRIUMEQ · TROGARZO · VIBATIV · VOWST · Veklury · Vibativ · XERAVA · Xerava · ZENPEP
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 →

The majority of payments (91%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in infectious disease and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 3% for infectious disease in TX.

Equivalent to $557 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a infectious disease in Fort Worth?
Compare infectious diseases in the Fort Worth area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Infectious Diseases within 10 mi
51
Per 100K population
2.4
County median income
$81,905
Nearest hospital
JPS HEALTH NETWORK
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. McDonald is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 4% in TX), and high industry engagement (speaking/promotional, top 3%), with 20 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. McDonald experienced with immune globulin infusion (gammagard)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. McDonald performed 14,940 immune globulin infusion (gammagard) 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. McDonald receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. McDonald received a total of $193,915 from 36 companies across 717 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. McDonald's costs compare to other infectious diseases in Fort Worth?
Dr. McDonald's average Medicare payment per service is $31. 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. McDonald) 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 →