Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Thomas Ellis, M.D.

Neurological Surgery · Fort Worth, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1900 MISTLETOE BLVD STE 200, Fort Worth, TX 76104
8178785333
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1629004445 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. Ellis 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. Ellis

Dr. Thomas Ellis is a neurological surgery specialist in Fort Worth, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ellis performed 1,117 Medicare services across 918 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ellis received a total of $3,562 from 28 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 66 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. 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. Ellis 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 7% volume in TX $3,562 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,117
Medicare services
Top 7% in TX for neurological surgery
918
Unique beneficiaries
$206
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~59 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
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 168 $91 $327
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, minimum of 4 views 144 $39 $146
X-ray of upper spine, 4-5 views 107 $39 $152
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) 79 $131 $440
New patient office visit (45-59 min) 73 $119 $494
Insertion of cage or mesh device in disc space during spine fusion 60 $242 $996
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 53 $63 $225
Fusion of spine bones through front of body with partial removal of disc, each additional disc 48 $226 $977
Release of middle or lower spinal cord and/or nerves, single segment 44 $243 $950
Fusion of additional segment of spine 39 $296 $1,165
Insertion of cage or mesh device to spine bone and disc space during spine fusion 31 $196 $769
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views 31 $30 $115
Fusion of upper spine bones through front of neck with partial removal of disc 26 $544 $3,739
Release of lower spinal cord and/or nerves, single segment 26 $807 $4,424
Removal of upper spine bone with release of spinal cord and/or nerves, anterior approach, single segment 26 $1,191 $5,230
X-ray of spine, 1 view 26 $14 $73
Fusion of spine in lower back 20 $1,092 $4,750
Removal of upper spine bone with release of spinal cord and/or nerves, anterior approach, each additional segment 19 $201 $790
Placement of stabilizing device to back, 3-6 spine bone segments 18 $578 $2,271
Placement of stabilizing device to front, 2-3 spine bone segments 18 $507 $2,163
Placement of stabilizing device to front, 4-7 spine bone segments 15 $573 $2,249
Fusion of lower spine bone through abdomen with partial removal of disc 12 $435 $4,590
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 12 $158 $624
X-ray of upper spine, 2-3 views 11 $31 $115
X-ray of middle spine, 2 views 11 $24 $95
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.
21.1% high complexity
0.0% medium
78.9% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$3,562
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $509/year across 7 years
Top 50% in TX for neurological surgery
28
Companies
66
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
$3,454 (97.0%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$108 (3.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$358
2023
$215
2022
$340
2021
$283
2020
$111
2019
$1,807
2018
$448

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Globus Medical, Inc.
$1,683
Providence Medical Technology, Inc.
$489
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$186
Organogenesis Inc.
$127
Medtronic, Inc.
$108
Nico Corporation
$92
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$84
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$83
Stryker Corporation
$82
Intrinsic Therapeutics
$81
Baxter Healthcare
$75
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$68
PFIZER INC.
$52
Ethicon US, LLC
$35
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$33
Nevro Corp.
$33
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$31
SI-BONE, Inc.
$28
Theragen, Inc.
$27
KCI USA, Inc.
$25
NuVasive, Inc.
$24
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$21
Medexus Pharma, Inc.
$19
Mallinckrodt LLC
$16
Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Inc.
$16
KLS-Martin L.P.
$16
Omniscient Neurotechnology America Ltd
$16
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$11
Top 3 companies account for 66.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIVA · ADAPTIVESTIM · AFINITOR · ANDEXXA · ActaStim-S · Archon · Barricaid Annular Closure Device · CODMAN CERTAS · Cervical-Stim · Cervical-Stim Osteogenesis Stimulator · EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM · Excelsius - GPS · Excelsius Robotics System · FLOSEAL · Gleolan · Gliadel · Horizant · INFINITY OCT System · MAZOR X SYSTEM · MILD DEVICE KIT · Magellan · Modulus · NuCel · OFIRMEV · PREVENA · Quicktome · REYVOW · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · STRATAFIX · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Simplify Cervical Artificial Disc · VERTEX RECONSTRUCTION SYSTEM · iFuse Implant
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 (97%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $319 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in Fort Worth?
Compare neurological surgerists in the Fort Worth area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
48
Per 100K population
2.2
County median income
$81,905
Nearest hospital
JPS HEALTH NETWORK
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. Ellis is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 7% in TX), with low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 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. Ellis experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ellis performed 168 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. Ellis receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ellis received a total of $3,562 from 28 companies across 66 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. Ellis's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Fort Worth?
Dr. Ellis's average Medicare payment per service is $206. 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. Ellis) 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 →