https://doctransparency.com/doctor/tx/houston/gregory-hester-1508952870
Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Gregory Hester, MD

Urology Physician · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
9230 KATY FWY STE 510, Houston, TX 77055
7136344441
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1508952870 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. Hester 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. Hester? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Hester

Dr. Gregory Hester is an urology physician in Houston, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Hester performed 4,253 Medicare services across 2,738 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Hester received a total of $6,706 from 51 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 198 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urology physician. 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. Hester 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 28% volume in TX$ $6,706 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
4,253
Medicare services
Top 28% in TX for urology physician
2,738
Unique beneficiaries
$38
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~224 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
Bladder ultrasound after voiding724$8$11
Automated urinalysis700$2$2
Leuprolide injectable, camcevi, 1 mg630$59$75
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)585$88$136
Electronic assessment of bladder emptying507$10$15
Blood draw (venipuncture)358$8$8
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)260$62$95
New patient office visit (45-59 min)108$108$181
Chronic care management, first 20 min/month92$50$64
Leuprolide acetate (for depot suspension), 7.5 mg72$139$187
Diagnostic exam of bladder and urethra using an endoscope67$60$258
Administration of hormonal anti-neoplastic chemotherapy under skin or into muscle29$24$35
New patient office visit (30-44 min)25$77$116
Biopsy of prostate gland22$104$250
Ultrasound scan of pelvic region through rectum22$26$33
Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement17$25$31
Complete ultrasound scan behind abdominal cavity12$60$77
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle12$11$15
Complete laser vaporization of prostate including control of bleeding using an endoscope11$527$1,681
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 ↗
$6,706
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $958/year across 7 years
Top 29% in TX for urology physician
51
Companies
198
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
$6,568 (97.9%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$139 (2.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,895
2023
$1,554
2022
$704
2021
$446
2020
$1,096
2019
$485
2018
$526

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
NeoTract Inc.
$936
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$896
Boston Scientific Corporation
$667
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$418
PFIZER INC.
$311
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$284
PROCEPT BioRobotics Corporation
$241
Medtronic, Inc.
$236
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$190
Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.
$189
C. R. Bard, Inc. & Subsidiaries
$173
180 Medical, Inc.
$126
Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc.
$126
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$124
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$123
ABBVIE INC.
$88
TOLMAR Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$87
ConvaTec Inc.
$86
Ambu Inc.
$75
AbbVie Inc.
$67
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$65
IMMUNITYBIO, INC.
$64
Amgen Inc.
$62
PROGENICS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$62
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$58
Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$58
Laborie Medical Technologies Corp.
$57
Novo Nordisk Inc
$54
UroGen Pharma, Inc.
$53
UROGEN PHARMA, INC.
$49
HealthTronics Stone Solutions, LLC
$49
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$48
Olympus America Inc.
$42
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$42
Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$42
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$42
ACCORD HEALTHCARE, INC.
$41
Avadel Specialty Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$41
Teleflex LLC
$36
AbbVie, Inc.
$35
Axonics, Inc.
$35
Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC
$34
UROVANT SCIENCES INC
$26
Tolmar, Inc.
$25
Tempus AI, Inc
$23
ABC Home Medical Supply, Inc.
$23
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$22
BioTissue Holdings, Inc.
$21
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$19
Coloplast Corp
$19
Telix Pharmaceuticals
$17
Top 3 companies account for 37.3% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADSTILADRIN · ANKTIVA · AQUABEAM ROBOTIC SYSTEM · AQUABEAM SYSTEM · AVEED · Axonics · Bard Urinary Drainage Bag · CAMCEVI · CURE CATHETER · CURE ULTRA CATHETER · Dornier MedTech · ELIGARD · ERLEADA · GEMTESA · GENERAL BPH · GENERAL FEMALE SUI · GENERAL FEMALE SUI · GENTLECATH · GIVLAARI · GREENLIGHT · General - BPH · ILLUCCIX · INTERSTIM · JELMYTO · KEYTRUDA · LUPRON DEPOT · Lupron · Lupron Depot · MYRBETRIQ · Myrbetriq · NEOX · NOCDURNA · Noctiva · Nubeqa · ORGOVYX · OTREXUP · OXLUMO · Optilume BPH Drug Coated Balloon Catheter · PREMARIN · PROLARIS · PROVENGE · PYLARIFY · Prolia · Rezum Generator · Rivfloza · Solyx SIS System · SpaceOAR VUE System - 10mL · SpeediCath · TLANDO · TOVIAZ · Tlando · Trelstar · UROLIFT · UroLift · XGEVA · XIAFLEX · XTANDI · XYOSTED · Xtandi · iTIND System · rezum Generator
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 (98%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $158 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a urology physician in Houston?
Compare urology physicians in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Urology Physicians within 10 mi
199
Per 100K population
4.2
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
MEMORIAL HERMANN MEMORIAL CITY HOSPITAL
2.2 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. Hester is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 28% in TX), and low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 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. Hester experienced with bladder ultrasound after voiding?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Hester performed 724 bladder ultrasound after voiding 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. Hester receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Hester received a total of $6,706 from 51 companies across 198 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. Hester's costs compare to other urology physicians in Houston?
Dr. Hester's average Medicare payment per service is $38. 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. Hester) 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 →