Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Caroline Schmidt

Ophthalmology · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
2855 GRAMERCY ST, Houston, TX 77025
7136686828
In practice since 2011 (14 years)
NPI: 1760773790 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. Schmidt 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. Schmidt? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Schmidt

Dr. Caroline Schmidt is an ophthalmology specialist in Houston, TX, with 14 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Schmidt performed 2,329 Medicare services across 1,921 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Schmidt received a total of $11,156 from 22 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 56 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in ophthalmology. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Schmidt 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.

✓ 14 years in practice ▲ Top 39% volume in TX $11,156 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,329
Medicare services
Top 39% in TX for ophthalmology
1,921
Unique beneficiaries
$74
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~166 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) 590 $87 $381
Optic nerve imaging (OCT scan) 334 $25 $276
Exam of the internal drainage system of eye 327 $20 $160
Visual field test, extended 236 $44 $513
Eye exam, established patient, focused 146 $60 $272
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient 120 $87 $379
Ultrasound scan of cornea to determine thickness 94 $8 $87
Cataract surgery with lens implant 87 $346 $5,634
Corneal topography and eye depth measurement 84 $35 $383
Retinal photography (fundus photo) 70 $26 $366
New patient office visit (45-59 min) 49 $120 $498
Ct scan of cornea 47 $23 $609
Incision to improve eye fluid flow 36 $658 $4,801
Comprehensive eye exam, new patient 34 $97 $447
Retinal imaging (OCT scan) 33 $30 $276
Laser repair to improve eye fluid flow 28 $149 $4,700
Removal of recurring cataract in lens capsule using a laser 14 $231 $2,475
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.
3.7% high complexity
21.8% medium
74.5% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$11,156
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,594/year across 7 years
Top 12% in TX for ophthalmology
22
Companies
56
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.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$6,561 (58.8%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$3,500 (31.4%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$1,095 (9.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$95
2023
$139
2022
$91
2021
$1,618
2020
$1,141
2019
$1,855
2018
$6,215

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
NEW WORLD MEDICAL,INC.
$4,500
Allergan Inc.
$4,262
Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.
$825
Allergan, Inc.
$729
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$139
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$92
AbbVie Inc.
$83
Alcon Vision LLC
$75
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$72
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$52
Iridex Corporation
$51
Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$44
Sight Sciences, Inc.
$41
Glaukos Corporation
$32
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$28
Genentech USA, Inc.
$26
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$22
Akorn, Inc.
$20
Thea Pharma Inc.
$19
ABBVIE INC.
$18
TissueTech, Inc.
$17
Quidel Corporation
$9
Top 3 companies account for 85.9% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Ahmed Glaucoma Valve · BESIVANCE · COMBIGAN · DURYSTA · Eye Health · INVELTYS · LOTEMAX SM · LUMIGAN · OMNI Surgical System · PROLENSA · PanOptix · Prokera · RESTASIS · ReSTOR · Rocklatan · TORIC · VERACITY SURGICAL · VYZULTA · Vabysmo · XDEMVY · XEN GLAUCOMA TREATMENT SYSTEM · XIIDRA · enVista MX60 IOL · rhopressa · rocklatan
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 (59%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.

Equivalent to $479 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for an ophthalmology specialist in Houston?
Compare ophthalmologists in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Ophthalmologists within 10 mi
290
Per 100K population
6.1
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
WOMANS HOSPITAL OF TEXAS,THE
1.8 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. Schmidt is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with consulting-driven industry engagement in the top 12% of TX peers.

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. Schmidt experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Schmidt performed 590 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. Schmidt receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Schmidt received a total of $11,156 from 22 companies across 56 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. Schmidt's costs compare to other ophthalmologists in Houston?
Dr. Schmidt's average Medicare payment per service is $74. 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. Schmidt) 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 →

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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 →