Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Carlos Herrera, MD

Optician · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
7601 W SAM HOUSTON PKWY S STE 400, Houston, TX 77072
7139816588
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1003858143 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. Herrera 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. Herrera

Dr. Carlos Herrera is an optician specialist in Houston, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Herrera performed 1,579 Medicare services across 204 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Herrera received a total of $6,145 from 40 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 212 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optician. 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. Herrera 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 38% volume in TX $6,145 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,579
Medicare services
Top 38% in TX for optician
204
Unique beneficiaries
$59
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~83 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
Nursing facility visit, low complexity 1,256 $59 $110
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 183 $78 $399
Blood draw (venipuncture) 57 $8 $10
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 52 $62 $476
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle 18 $10 $47
Annual wellness visit, follow-up 13 $131 $346
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.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$6,145
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $878/year across 7 years
Top 23% in TX for optician
40
Companies
212
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
$6,145 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,257
2023
$644
2022
$535
2021
$467
2020
$883
2019
$1,131
2018
$1,226

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$2,002
Lilly USA, LLC
$575
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$346
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$331
Abbott Laboratories
$283
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$281
PFIZER INC.
$254
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$243
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$221
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$176
Axonics, Inc.
$134
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$120
Relypsa, Inc.
$111
Novo Nordisk Inc
$107
Amgen Inc.
$92
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$90
Medtronic, Inc.
$85
AbbVie Inc.
$83
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$45
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.
$43
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$43
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$41
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$41
ABIOMED
$40
Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$32
Nestle HealthCare Nutrition Inc.
$28
Hologic Sales and Service, LLC
$28
ABBVIE INC.
$27
Allergan Inc.
$27
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
$26
Allergan, Inc.
$25
Dexcom, Inc.
$23
Exact Sciences Corporation
$23
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$22
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$19
Althera Pharmaceuticals LLC
$18
MannKind Corporation
$17
Phadia US Inc.
$16
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$15
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 47.6% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AFREZZA · AIRSUPRA · ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · APTIMA · AUSTEDO · Aptiom · Axonics · BASAGLAR · BREZTRI · BREZTRI AEROSPHERE · BYDUREON · CHANTIX · COLOGUARD · CONFIRM RX · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · CREON · Cologuard Collection Kit · Crysvita · Cryvista · Dexcom G6 Transmitter · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · ENTRESTO · EUCRISA · FARXIGA · FREESTYLE LIBRE 2 · FREESTYLE LIBRE 3 · GVOKE PFS · INVOKANA · ImmunoCAP · Impella · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · KRYSTEXXA · Kerendia · LINZESS · MOUNJARO · MYRBETRIQ · Myrbetriq · Ozempic · Prolia · REXULTI · Roszet · SHINGRIX · SIVEXTRO · SYMBICORT · TOUJEO · TRADJENTA · TRULICITY · Tresiba · VERQUVO · VERZENIO · VOXZOGO 1.2mg · VRAYLAR · Vascepa · Veltassa · Veozah · XARELTO · XIFAXAN · 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 →

Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $389 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for an optician specialist in Houston?
Compare opticians in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Opticians within 10 mi
496
Per 100K population
10.4
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
ALTUS HOUSTON HOSPITAL, LP
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. Herrera is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, 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. Herrera experienced with nursing facility visit, low complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Herrera performed 1,256 nursing facility visit, low complexity 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. Herrera receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Herrera received a total of $6,145 from 40 companies across 212 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. Herrera's costs compare to other opticians in Houston?
Dr. Herrera's average Medicare payment per service is $59. 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. Herrera) 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 →