Medicare Enrolled

Dr. James Welsh, MD

Optician · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Mixed engagement
1515 HOLCOMBE BLVD, Houston, TX 77030
7137926161
In practice since 2007 (18 years)
NPI: 1336359876 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. Welsh 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. Welsh? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Welsh

Dr. James Welsh is an optician in Houston, TX, with 18 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Welsh performed 366 Medicare services across 145 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Welsh received a total of $421,109 from 15 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 54 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optician. The majority of payments are classified as financial or ownership interests (royalties, licensing fees, or investment interests). Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Welsh 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▲ 366 Medicare services$ $421,109 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
366
Medicare services
Bottom 27% in TX for optician
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
145
Unique beneficiaries
$62
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~20 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
Calculation of radiation therapy dose115$26$380
Design and construction of complex radiation treatment device81$48$714
Stereoscopic x-ray guidance for localization of target volume for the delivery of radiation therapy58$15$211
CT guidance for radiation therapy29$35$340
Radiation treatment management, 5 treatment sessions22$155$1,495
Complex radiation therapy planning19$137$2,887
Obtaining respiratory data needed to develop the optimal radiation treatment15$81$914
Design and construction of radiation treatment device for high precision radiation therapy14$174$1,982
High precision radiation therapy planning13$324$4,458
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 2023 ↗
$421,109
Total received (2018-2023)
Avg $70,185/year across 6 years
Top 1% in TX for optician
15
Companies
54
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.

Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$394,574 (93.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$17,136 (4.1%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$5,918 (1.4%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$3,482 (0.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2023
$9,776
2022
$400,655
2021
$5,556
2020
$3,118
2019
$1,407
2018
$598

Payments by company (2023)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Alkermes, Inc.
$394,574
ROCHE MOLECULAR SYSTEMS, INC.
$6,825
RefleXion Medical, Inc.
$5,556
Novocure Inc.
$4,438
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$3,565
Genentech, Inc.
$2,800
IBA Proton Therapy, Inc.
$1,413
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$1,247
Zap Surgical Systems, Inc.
$160
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$146
Accuray Incorporated
$113
VIEWRAY TECHNOLOGIES INC
$108
Lilly USA, LLC
$60
Eli Lilly and Company
$56
VENTANA MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
$48
Top 3 companies account for 96.6% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ALIMTA · CyberKnife System · IMFINZI · LYNPARZA · MRIdian LINAC · REFLEXION MEDICAL RADIOTHERAPY SYSTEM · VENTANA RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT · VERZENIO · ZAP-X MV IMAGER
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 →

Payments are distributed across multiple categories with no single dominant type. Total industry engagement is in the top 1% for optician in TX.

Equivalent to $115,057 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a optician 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
524
Per 100K population
11.0
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 2023
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. Welsh is a mixed practice specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (mixed engagement, top 1%), with 18 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. Welsh experienced with calculation of radiation therapy dose?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Welsh performed 115 calculation of radiation therapy dose 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. Welsh receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Welsh received a total of $421,109 from 15 companies across 54 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. Welsh's costs compare to other opticians in Houston?
Dr. Welsh's average Medicare payment per service is $62. 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. Welsh) 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 →