Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Frank Meriano, M.D.

Gastroenterology · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
6560 FANNIN ST, Houston, TX 77030
7137950464
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1699751362 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. Meriano 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. Meriano? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Meriano

Dr. Frank Meriano is a gastroenterology in Houston, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Meriano performed 909 Medicare services across 721 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Meriano received a total of $10,888 from 45 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 594 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in gastroenterology. 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. Meriano 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.

✓ 20 years in practice▲ Top 29% volume in TX$ $10,888 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
909
Medicare services
Top 29% in TX for gastroenterology
721
Unique beneficiaries
$98
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~45 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.

ProcedureVolumeAvg. paidAvg. submitted
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity222$96$211
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)160$66$191
Colonoscopy with biopsy102$110$1,040
Initial hospital admission, high complexity92$141$410
Upper GI endoscopy with biopsy78$77$800
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)76$92$273
New patient office or other outpatient visit, 15-29 minutes47$48$152
Removal of polyps or growths of large bowel using an endoscope with mechanical snare39$194$1,340
Insertion of stomach tube using a flexible endoscope38$162$1,380
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity27$65$148
New patient office visit (30-44 min)15$68$235
Diagnostic exam of esophagus, stomach, and/or upper small bowel using a flexible endoscope13$81$688
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 ↗
$10,888
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,555/year across 7 years
Top 19% in TX for gastroenterology
45
Companies
594
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
$10,888 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,148
2023
$1,420
2022
$1,462
2021
$1,712
2020
$1,077
2019
$1,879
2018
$2,190

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$2,085
ABBVIE INC.
$1,650
AbbVie Inc.
$1,161
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$1,133
AbbVie, Inc.
$829
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$632
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$262
Allergan Inc.
$228
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$200
Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc
$186
PFIZER INC.
$186
Celgene Corporation
$184
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$172
Shionogi Inc
$169
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$157
Shire North American Group Inc
$138
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$122
Braintree Laboratories, Inc.
$119
Nestle HealthCare Nutrition Inc.
$118
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$107
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$102
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$99
Micro-tech Endoscopy USA, Inc.
$95
Ardelyx, Inc.
$94
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$79
Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$65
FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc.
$50
Romark Laboratories, LC
$45
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$44
GENZYME CORPORATION
$39
VIVUS LLC
$36
Amgen Inc.
$35
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$33
QOL Medical, LLC
$25
Ambu Inc.
$23
IRONWOOD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
$23
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
$22
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$21
Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$20
Olympus America Inc.
$19
UCB, Inc.
$19
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$19
Allergan, Inc.
$19
Medtronic, Inc.
$18
GI Supply, Inc.
$7
Top 3 companies account for 45.0% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
APRISO · AVSOLA · AXIOS · Alinia · All Products · CIMZIA · CLENPIQ · CREON · Cimzia · Creon · DIFICID · DUPIXENT · Dexilant · ENTYVIO · EOHILIA · ESD - EUS · EXALT · Entyvio · GATTEX · GI GENIUS · HUMIRA · Humira · IBSRELA · INJECTAFER · LINZESS · Linzess · MAVYRET · MOTEGRITY · MOVANTIK · Motegrity · Mulpleta · NASCOBAL · NUEDEXTA · OCALIVA · Olympus Biliary Devices · PANCREAZE · Pancreaze · RELISTOR · RELISTOR ORAL · RELYVRIO · REMICADE · RINVOQ · SKYRIZI · STELARA · SUPREP · SUPREP BOWEL PREP · SUTAB · Sequoia · Sucraid · Symproic · TREMFYA · TRULANCE · Talicia · Trulance · UCERIS · VIBERZI · VOQUEZNA · XELJANZ · XIFAXAN · XIFAXANIBSD · XIFIXAN · ZENPEP · ZEPOSIA
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 $1,198 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a gastroenterology in Houston?
Compare gastroenterologys in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse gastroenterologys nearby

Geographic Context

Gastroenterologys within 10 mi
251
Per 100K population
5.3
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
MEMORIAL HERMANN - TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/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. Meriano is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 29% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 19%), with 20 years of practice experience.

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. Meriano experienced with hospital follow-up visit, high complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Meriano performed 222 hospital follow-up visit, high 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. Meriano receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Meriano received a total of $10,888 from 45 companies across 594 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. Meriano's costs compare to other gastroenterologys in Houston?
Dr. Meriano's average Medicare payment per service is $98. 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. Meriano) 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 →