Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Donald Gardner, MD

Optician · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1140 BUSINESS CENTER DR, Houston, TX 77043
7139848200
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1174616619 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. Gardner 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. Gardner? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Gardner

Dr. Donald Gardner is an optician specialist in Houston, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Gardner performed 1,548 Medicare services across 849 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Gardner received a total of $12,551 from 54 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 587 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. Gardner 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 39% volume in TX $12,551 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,548
Medicare services
Top 39% in TX for optician
849
Unique beneficiaries
$93
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~81 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) 757 $94 $150
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) 364 $132 $205
Continuous monitoring of blood sugar level in tissue fluid using sensor under skin with interpretation and report 237 $27 $100
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 88 $67 $105
Ultrasound scan of head and neck soft tissue 32 $80 $275
Continuous monitoring of blood sugar level in tissue fluid using sensor under skin with provider supplied equipment 24 $114 $500
New patient office visit (45-59 min) 24 $125 $300
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 22 $178 $400
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 ↗
$12,551
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,793/year across 7 years
Top 15% in TX for optician
54
Companies
587
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
$12,483 (99.5%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$68 (0.5%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,892
2023
$2,509
2022
$1,849
2021
$1,002
2020
$711
2019
$2,973
2018
$1,616

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Lilly USA, LLC
$1,593
Eli Lilly and Company
$1,474
Novo Nordisk Inc
$1,342
Amgen Inc.
$759
Abbott Laboratories
$757
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$708
Dexcom, Inc.
$630
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$515
Becton, Dickinson and Company
$379
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$314
Insulet Corporation
$297
Mannkind Corporation
$277
Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC
$236
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$223
Medtronic MiniMed, Inc.
$217
AbbVie Inc.
$203
Embecta Corp.
$201
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$191
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$180
Radius Health, Inc.
$161
MannKind Corporation
$150
ABBVIE INC.
$130
IBSA Pharma Inc.
$123
DEXCOM, INC.
$101
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.
$101
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$89
DAVOL INC.
$89
Corcept Therapeutics
$85
Companion Medical, Inc.
$81
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$75
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$72
AbbVie, Inc.
$69
Roche Diabetes Care, Inc.
$56
Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC
$53
Gemini Laboratories, LLC
$52
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$50
CeQur Corporation
$49
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc
$48
Kyowa Kirin, Inc.
$43
Shire North American Group Inc
$43
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$39
Medtronic, Inc.
$35
RECORDATI_RARE_DISEASES_INC.
$32
Ascensia Diabetes Care Us Inc.
$29
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$26
Althera Pharmaceuticals LLC
$25
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$25
Alvogen Inc
$22
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$21
Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$20
LifeScan, Inc.
$18
Amryt Pharma Holdings Ltd
$17
Nevro Corp.
$14
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 35.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AFREZZA · Androgel · BAQSIMI · BD NANO · BD Nano · BD Nano 2nd Gen Pen Needle · BOTOX · CONTRAVE · CYCLOSET · Cables · CeQur Simplicity · Crysvita · DC ACCU-CHEK Diabetes Management Solutions · DEXCOM G6 CGM SYSTEM · DEXCOM G6 TRANSMITTER · Dexcom G6 Transmitter · EVENITY · EVERSENSE 365 SENSOR KIT (RETAIL) · FARXIGA · FREESTYLE LIBRE · FreeStyle Libre · FreeStyle Libre blood glucose Flash Monitoring System · GUARDIAN CONNECT · GVOKE HYPOPEN · Guardian Connect · Guardian Sensor 3 · HUMULIN · HUMULIN R 500 · INPEN SMART INSULIN DELIVERY SYSTEM · INVOKANA · ISTURISA · InPen · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · Kerendia · Kits and Accessories · Korlym · LANTUS · LEQVIO · MOUNJARO · MYCAPSSA · Minimed 670G System · NATPARA · NATPARA (PARATHYROID HORMONE) · NEXLETOL · Omnia · Omnipod · OneTouch · Ozempic · PHASIX · PRALUENT · Prolia · Repatha · Roszet · Rybelsus · SIGNIFOR LAR · SOLIQUA · SOLIQUA 100/33 · SOMATULINE DEPOT · STEGLUJAN · STRENSIQ · SYNTHROID · Saxenda · Software · Strensiq · TEPEZZA · TERIPARATIDE · TOUJEO · TRADJENTA · TRULICITY · TZIELD · Tirosint · Tresiba · Tymlos · UNITHROID · Victoza · XARELTO · Xultophy 100/3.6
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 $811 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
522
Per 100K population
11.0
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
HOUSTON BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE HOSPITAL LLC
3.8 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. Gardner is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 15% of TX peers, 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. Gardner experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Gardner performed 757 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. Gardner receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Gardner received a total of $12,551 from 54 companies across 587 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. Gardner's costs compare to other opticians in Houston?
Dr. Gardner's average Medicare payment per service is $93. 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. Gardner) 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 →