Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Tareq Abu Sharifeh, MD

Cardiovascular Disease · Galveston, TX
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Cardiac— Practice combining cardiac and cardiac services
Low-engagement
301 UNIVERSITY BLVD, Galveston, TX 77555
4097479163
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1447200308 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. Abu Sharifeh 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. Abu Sharifeh

Dr. Tareq Abu Sharifeh is a cardiovascular disease in Galveston, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Abu Sharifeh performed 1,333 Medicare services across 1,162 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Abu Sharifeh received a total of $3,922 from 15 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 96 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. Abu Sharifeh 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▲ 1,333 Medicare services$ $3,922 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,333
Medicare services
Bottom 38% in TX for cardiovascular disease
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
1,162
Unique beneficiaries
$48
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~70 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
Echocardiogram, transthoracic344$47$158
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)105$73$270
EKG interpretation and report104$5$23
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity92$61$195
Ultrasound of heart with color-depicted blood flow, rate and valve function75$2$10
Outpatient heart rehabilitation with electrocardiogram (ecg) monitoring, quality health care professional services73$11$63
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity68$96$293
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity60$102$340
Ultrasound of heart blood flow, valves and chambers57$13$48
Initial hospital admission, high complexity47$130$498
Hospital discharge management, 30+ min32$92$289
Ultrasound of heart with probe in esophagus, with report29$80$258
3d radiographic procedure28$8$25
Ultrasound of heart with continuous electrocardiogram (ecg) during rest, exercise and/or drug induced stress with review and report28$58$210
Ultrasound of heart, follow-up27$20$63
Heart muscle strain imaging27$9$100
New patient office visit (45-59 min)26$98$415
Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with review by physician19$10$38
Ultrasound of heart blood flow, valves and chambers, follow-up18$6$20
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)18$105$360
Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with supervision by physician16$14$55
Nuclear medicine studies of heart muscle at rest and with stress and spect14$47$193
Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 minutes14$10$132
Electrocardiogram (ecg) 2-day continuous with review by health care professional12$15$65
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.
37.1% high complexity
12.0% medium
50.9% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$3,922
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $560/year across 7 years
Bottom 46% in TX for cardiovascular disease
15
Companies
96
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
$3,922 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$524
2023
$555
2022
$234
2021
$364
2020
$400
2019
$993
2018
$851

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boston Scientific Corporation
$1,264
BIOTRONIK INC.
$746
Abbott Laboratories
$457
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$238
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$188
Amgen Inc.
$183
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$135
ZOLL Circulation Inc
$129
ABIOMED
$126
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$123
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$120
Medtronic, Inc.
$97
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$43
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$36
PFIZER INC.
$36
Top 3 companies account for 62.9% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCOLADE · ACCOLADE SR · ADVANTIO · ALTRUA 20 · BRILINTA · CHANTIX · Confirm Rx · CoreValve Evolut · Corlanor · Dragonfly OCT · ELIQUIS · General - Brady · HeartMate Touch · Impella · LifeVest · MULTAQ · PRALUENT · Repatha · Rhythmia Mapping System · Sentus · TherOx DS2 Console · ULTREON · WATCHMAN Access System · XARELTO
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 $294 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a cardiovascular disease in Galveston?
Compare cardiovascular diseases in the Galveston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse cardiovascular diseases nearby

Geographic Context

Cardiovascular Diseases within 10 mi
34
Per 100K population
9.6
County median income
$85,348
Nearest hospital
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH GALVESTON
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. Abu Sharifeh is a cardiac & cardiac specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Abu Sharifeh experienced with echocardiogram, transthoracic?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Abu Sharifeh performed 344 echocardiogram, transthoracic 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. Abu Sharifeh receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Abu Sharifeh received a total of $3,922 from 15 companies across 96 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. Abu Sharifeh's costs compare to other cardiovascular diseases in Galveston?
Dr. Abu Sharifeh's average Medicare payment per service is $48. 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. Abu Sharifeh) 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 →