Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Barry Trachtenberg, MD

Cardiovascular Disease · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
5115 FANNIN ST STE 801, Houston, TX 77004
7137900841
In practice since 2008 (17 years)
NPI: 1639331473 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. Trachtenberg 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. Trachtenberg

Dr. Barry Trachtenberg is a cardiovascular disease in Houston, TX, with 17 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Trachtenberg performed 3,891 Medicare services across 2,207 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Trachtenberg received a total of $272,714 from 39 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 551 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. Trachtenberg 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.

✓ 17 years in practice▲ Top 25% volume in TX$ $272,714 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
3,891
Medicare services
Top 25% in TX for cardiovascular disease
2,207
Unique beneficiaries
$122
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~229 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
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)527$92$145
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity449$96$175
Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test424$42$118
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity369$64$150
Echocardiogram, transthoracic216$70$482
Remote patient monitoring device, 30 days209$40$128
Remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month185$39$128
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)136$139$215
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead119$11$125
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity110$100$167
Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with supervision and review by physician106$56$575
Rubidium rb-82, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 60 millicuries104$620$1,981
Remote monitoring of pulmonary artery pressure sensor, up to 30 days101$39$100
Initial hospital admission, high complexity101$140$300
Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 minutes85$10$40
Critical care, first 30-74 min85$173$267
Nuclear medicine studies of blood flow in heart muscle at rest and with stress82$1,060$3,250
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min)66$170$476
Ultrasonic guidance for blood vessel access54$12$40
Insertion of tube in right heart chambers for measurement50$95$825
Transitional care management services for problem of high complexity48$219$450
Chronic care management, first 20 min/month46$49$120
New patient office visit (45-59 min)41$114$396
Remote monitoring of physiologic parameters, initial set-up and patient education on use of equipment40$15$49
Heart muscle strain imaging28$30$100
Nuclear medicine studies of blood flow in heart muscle at rest and with stress with concurrent ct scan21$1,936$5,996
Transitional care management services for problem of at least moderate complexity20$165$375
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)16$65$110
Insertion of wireless pressure sensor into lung artery through tube with review by radiologist15$252$700
Electrocardiogram (ecg) up to 30 days continuous with review and report by health care professional15$20$65
Cardiac catheterization12$236$1,500
Biopsy of heart muscle11$175$847
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.
5.9% high complexity
17.3% medium
76.9% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$272,714
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $38,959/year across 7 years
Top 2% in TX for cardiovascular disease
39
Companies
551
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
$240,798 (88.3%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$22,761 (8.3%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$9,156 (3.4%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$99,905
2023
$45,642
2022
$25,943
2021
$41,678
2020
$25,134
2019
$24,845
2018
$9,567

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$113,636
PFIZER INC.
$77,297
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$53,749
Abbott Laboratories
$20,294
Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
$2,822
PFIZER INTERNATIONAL LLC
$1,350
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$605
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$381
ABIOMED
$293
Amgen Inc.
$275
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$246
Boston Scientific Corporation
$219
Novo Nordisk Inc
$172
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$132
Medtronic, Inc.
$125
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$120
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$111
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$102
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$96
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$81
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$68
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$67
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$58
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$55
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$50
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$45
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$43
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$31
CARDIVA MEDICAL, INC.
$26
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$24
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$22
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$22
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$17
Biosense Webster, Inc.
$16
GE HealthCare
$15
Haemonetics Corporation
$14
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$13
Relypsa, Inc.
$12
Allergan Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 89.7% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCENT · ACCOLADE SR · AMVUTTRA · AVYCAZ · Adempas · Arcalyst · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CARDIVA VASCADE MVP VVCS 6-12F · CARTO 3 · CHANTIX · CONFIRM RX · CRESEMBA · CRM-Research only · CardioMEMS HF System · Circulatory Support · CoreValve Evolut · Corlanor · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · EVKEEZA · FARXIGA · FUROSCIX · Flexitouch Plus · HAWKONE · HeartMate · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Dev · HeartMate II LVAS · HeartWare HVAD · Impella · Inpefa · JARDIANCE · JOT DX · Kerendia · LEQVIO · LifeVest · MULTAQ · NEXLETOL · ONPATTRO · OPSUMIT · OPTISURE · Optimizer · Optimizer Smart System · Ozempic · Repatha · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · TEG · TEGSEDI · THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · UNIFY ASSURA · UPTRAVI · VYNDAMAX · VYNDAQEL · Veltassa · Verquvo · WAINUA · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN FLX · Wegovy · XARELTO · Xience Sierra Coronary Stent · 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 →

The majority of payments (88%) 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. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for cardiovascular disease in TX.

Equivalent to $7,009 per 100 Medicare services performed
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Geographic Context

Cardiovascular Diseases within 10 mi
396
Per 100K population
8.3
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
HCA HOUSTON HEALTHCARE 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. Trachtenberg is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 25% in TX), and high industry engagement (speaking/promotional, top 2%), with 17 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. Trachtenberg experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Trachtenberg performed 527 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. Trachtenberg receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Trachtenberg received a total of $272,714 from 39 companies across 551 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. Trachtenberg's costs compare to other cardiovascular diseases in Houston?
Dr. Trachtenberg's average Medicare payment per service is $122. 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. Trachtenberg) 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 →