Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Chelsea Pinnix, M.D., PH.D.

Internal Medicine · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice — Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
1515 HOLCOMBE BLVD, Houston, TX 77030
7137926161
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1609069319 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. Pinnix 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. Pinnix? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Pinnix

Dr. Chelsea Pinnix is an internal medicine specialist in Houston, TX, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Pinnix performed 966 Medicare services across 486 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Pinnix received a total of $2,100 from 3 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 10 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in internal medicine. 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. Pinnix 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.

✓ 18 years in practice ▲ Top 37% volume in TX $2,100 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
966
Medicare services
Top 37% in TX for internal medicine
486
Unique beneficiaries
$60
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~54 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
Design and construction of complex radiation treatment device 208 $46 $712
Stereoscopic x-ray guidance for localization of target volume for the delivery of radiation therapy 190 $17 $215
Calculation of radiation therapy dose 172 $27 $377
Complex radiation therapy planning 51 $96 $2,880
Radiation treatment management, 5 treatment sessions 49 $153 $1,496
CT guidance for radiation therapy 44 $36 $340
Obtaining data needed to develop the optimal radiation treatment, 3 or more treatment areas or any number of treatment areas where special treatment is involved 43 $55 $1,649
Special radiation treatment 39 $84 $1,376
3d radiation therapy planning 34 $178 $2,165
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 28 $43 $170
New patient office visit (45-59 min) 24 $106 $693
Radiation treatment management, 1-2 treatment sessions 22 $87 $417
Obtaining data needed to develop the optimal radiation treatment, 1 treatment area 18 $29 $882
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 17 $79 $268
Design and construction of radiation treatment device for high precision radiation therapy 14 $182 $1,967
High precision radiation therapy planning 13 $340 $4,423
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 2021 ↗
$2,100
Total received (2018-2021)
Avg $700/year across 3 years
Top 29% in TX for internal medicine
3
Companies
10
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
$2,100 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2021
$131
2019
$511
2018
$1,459

Payments by company (2021)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$1,485
RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ)
$485
Nevro Corp.
$131
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
KEYTRUDA · Omnia
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 $217 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for an internal medicine specialist in Houston?
Compare internal medicine physicians in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Internal medicine physicians within 10 mi
2,667
Per 100K population
56.0
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
MEMORIAL HERMANN - TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
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 2021
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. Pinnix is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 18 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. Pinnix experienced with design and construction of complex radiation treatment device?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Pinnix performed 208 design and construction of complex radiation treatment device 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. Pinnix receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Pinnix received a total of $2,100 from 3 companies across 10 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. Pinnix's costs compare to other internal medicine physicians in Houston?
Dr. Pinnix's average Medicare payment per service is $60. 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. Pinnix) 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 →