Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Alberto Lopez, M.D.

Cardiovascular Disease · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Cardiac & Remote— Practice combining cardiac and remote services
Speaking/Promotional
6624 FANNIN ST, Houston, TX 77030
7137909401
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1356364244 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. Lopez 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 →
Are you Dr. Lopez? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Lopez

Dr. Alberto Lopez is a cardiovascular disease in Houston, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Lopez performed 5,262 Medicare services across 3,428 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Lopez received a total of $26,145 from 39 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 458 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular 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. Lopez 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 15% volume in TX$ $26,145 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
5,262
Medicare services
Top 15% in TX for cardiovascular disease
3,428
Unique beneficiaries
$247
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~277 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
Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test1,324$46$73
Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with supervision and review by physician526$53$143
Rubidium rb-82, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 60 millicuries522$207$267
Nuclear medicine studies of blood flow in heart muscle at rest and with stress with concurrent ct scan479$1,929$2,998
Nuclear medicine study of heart muscle blood flow by pet478$145$226
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead358$11$33
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)271$94$168
Evaluation of cardiac rhythm monitor system, remote up to 30 days270$19$35
Interrogation device evaluation(s), (remote) up to 30 days; implantable cardiovascular physiologic monitor system, implantable loop recorder system, or subcutaneous cardiac rhythm monitor system, remote data acquisition(s), receipt of transmissions and tec259$30$48
Remote pacemaker monitoring, 90 days249$22$57
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)108$67$119
Evaluation of single, dual, or multiple lead implantable defibrillator system, remote up to 90 days86$26$101
Remote pacemaker/defibrillator monitoring, 90 days54$18$58
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)47$138$235
Technetium tc-99m sestamibi, diagnostic, per study dose45$74$115
Nuclear medicine studies of heart muscle at rest and with stress and spect44$340$993
Chest X-ray, 2 views34$26$47
Programming of dual lead pacemaker system24$56$100
Comprehensive electrophysiologic evaluation with catheter destruction of abnormality causing atrial fibrillation (uncoordinated contraction of upper chambers of heart) by pulmonary vein isolation20$773$1,367
Insertion of pacemaker and upper and lower heart chamber electrode17$418$648
Heart rhythm recording of continous external ekg over 8-15 days16$9$20
Hospital discharge day management, 30 minutes or less16$65$87
Heart rhythm review and interpretation of continous external ekg over 8-15 days15$21$35
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.
8.6% high complexity
54.2% medium
37.3% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$26,145
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $3,735/year across 7 years
Top 16% in TX for cardiovascular disease
39
Companies
458
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
$15,153 (58.0%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$7,468 (28.6%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$3,523 (13.5%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$794
2023
$1,304
2022
$2,033
2021
$920
2020
$486
2019
$4,426
2018
$16,181

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$16,953
Abbott Laboratories
$1,916
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$1,480
PFIZER INC.
$568
Amgen Inc.
$511
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$498
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$442
Novo Nordisk Inc
$371
Boston Scientific Corporation
$355
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$311
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$304
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$295
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$284
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$215
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$175
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$174
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$144
CARDIVA MEDICAL, INC.
$137
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$121
NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
$119
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$98
Medtronic, Inc.
$97
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$84
BIOTRONIK INC.
$65
Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
$58
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$54
Endologix LLC
$47
Chiesi USA, Inc.
$41
Allergan Inc.
$31
Vifor Pharma, Inc.
$31
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$29
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$28
Biocompatibles, Inc.
$19
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$18
BRACCO DIAGNOSTICS INC.
$17
Baxter Healthcare
$17
HEARTFLOW, INC.
$14
Preventice Services, LLC
$13
Medicure Pharma Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 77.8% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AFX2 Bifurcated Endograft System · AVEIR · Arctic Front · Azure · BRILINTA · BYSTOLIC · CAMZYOS · CARDENE · CARDIOMEMS · CARDIVA VASCADE 5F VCS · CARDIVA VASCADE 6/7F VCS · CARDIVA VASCADE MVP VVCS 6-12F · CHANTIX · Cardiogen-82 · Corlanor · CryoConsole · ELELYSO · ELIQUIS · ENDURANT IIS · ENTRESTO · Ensite Cardiac Mapping System · FFRct · General - Therapies · Hillrom - Carnation Ambulatory Monitor · Inpefa · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LEXISCAN · LIVALO · LifeVest · Livalo · MITRACLIP · MULTAQ · MitraClip System · NEXLETOL · OPSUMIT · OPTIMIZER · Optimizer · Optimizer Smart System · Ozempic · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · REFLEXION SPIRAL · Repatha · Solia · TEGSEDI · TYRX · UPTRAVI · VARITHENA · VERQUVO · VYNDAMAX · VYNDAQEL · Vascepa · Veltassa · WATCHMAN Access System · WATCHMAN FLX · Wegovy · XARELTO · ZIO XT Patch · ZYPITAMAG · Zio monitor
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 (58%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in cardiovascular disease and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware.

Equivalent to $497 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a cardiovascular disease in Houston?
Compare cardiovascular diseases in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Cardiovascular Diseases within 10 mi
385
Per 100K population
8.1
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
MEMORIAL HERMANN - TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
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. Lopez is a cardiac & remote specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 15% in TX), and high industry engagement (speaking/promotional, top 16%), 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. Lopez experienced with regadenoson injection (lexiscan) for heart stress test?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Lopez performed 1,324 regadenoson injection (lexiscan) for heart stress test 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. Lopez receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Lopez received a total of $26,145 from 39 companies across 458 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. Lopez's costs compare to other cardiovascular diseases in Houston?
Dr. Lopez's average Medicare payment per service is $247. 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. Lopez) 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 →