Dr. Javier Lafuente, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Lafuente
Dr. Javier Lafuente is a transplant surgery physician in Houston, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Lafuente performed 156 Medicare services across 151 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Lafuente received a total of $11,888 from 44 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 212 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in transplant surgery 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. Lafuente 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 45 | $174 | $600 |
| Transcatheter aortic valve replacement via femoral artery A minimally invasive procedure to replace a diseased aortic heart valve using a catheter inserted through the skin and femoral artery. |
21 | $610 | $6,732 |
| Endoscopic vein harvest A surgical procedure to remove a vein using an endoscope, which is a thin, lighted tube inserted through small incisions. |
17 | $13 | $84 |
| Coronary artery bypass graft, 1 artery Surgical procedure to bypass a blocked coronary artery using a graft from another artery. This restores blood flow to the heart muscle. |
17 | $1,472 | $9,805 |
| 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. |
16 | $96 | $314 |
| Arterial thrombectomy, chest, neck, or brain A procedure to remove a blood clot and part of an artery in the chest, neck, or brain. |
15 | $872 | $5,544 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter. |
13 | $142 | $421 |
| Coronary artery bypass graft, 2 grafts A surgical procedure to restore blood flow to the heart by creating bypasses using two vein or artery grafts. |
12 | $332 | $2,121 |
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. Lafuente is a clinical cardiology 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
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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.
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