Dr. Diwaker Balachandran, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Balachandran
Dr. Diwaker Balachandran is a pulmonary disease specialist in Houston, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Balachandran performed 756 Medicare services across 730 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Balachandran received a total of $76 from 3 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 3 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pulmonary disease. 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. Balachandran 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
102 | $104 | $538 |
| Pulmonary gas exchange test A test to examine how well the lungs exchange gases. |
76 | $6 | $87 |
| Lung volume test using sensors A test that measures the amount of air in the lungs using sensors. |
73 | $8 | $134 |
| Expiratory airflow and volume test A test that measures the amount of air you can exhale and the speed at which you can breathe it out. It evaluates lung function by assessing expiratory airflow and volume. |
72 | $6 | $137 |
| Initial hospital admission, low complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving straightforward or low-level medical decision making, with at least 40 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
64 | $65 | $397 |
| Bronchial irrigation and suction for cell collection This procedure uses an endoscope to flush and suction the lung airways in order to collect cells for testing. |
50 | $107 | $1,612 |
| Chest fluid aspiration with imaging guidance This procedure involves removing fluid from the chest cavity using imaging technology to guide the needle placement. |
49 | $86 | $1,311 |
| Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older. |
47 | $10 | $120 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range. |
38 | $65 | $324 |
| Exercise-induced lung stress test A test performed to evaluate how the lungs function during physical exertion. It helps identify breathing difficulties or lung conditions that occur specifically when exercising. |
30 | $15 | $218 |
| Sleep study with heart rate and breathing monitoring A sleep study that monitors heart rate, breathing, airflow, and physical effort during sleep. |
27 | $35 | $571 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
27 | $140 | $673 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter. |
25 | $108 | $510 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
21 | $53 | $171 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) A follow-up office visit for an existing patient lasting between 30 and 39 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
20 | $79 | $266 |
| Insertion of chest tube for lung fluid drainage A procedure to place a tube into the chest cavity to drain excess fluid from around the lungs. |
18 | $165 | $5,248 |
| Radiologist review of drainage imaging A radiologist reviews medical images to assess the drainage of fluid. |
17 | $45 | $556 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
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. Balachandran 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. Balachandran experienced with initial hospital admission, moderate complexity?
Does Dr. Balachandran receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Balachandran's costs compare to other pulmonary diseases in Houston?
What does Data Coverage mean?
Is this data up to date?
Explore related providers
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