Dr. Jose Santacruz, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Santacruz
Dr. Jose Santacruz is a critical care medicine in Houston, TX, with 18 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Santacruz performed 3,499 Medicare services across 2,179 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Santacruz received a total of $11,095 from 23 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 81 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in critical care medicine. 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. Santacruz 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity | 977 | $97 | $262 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity | 355 | $65 | $183 |
| Critical care, first 30-74 min | 312 | $175 | $573 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 283 | $95 | $333 |
| Test to determine lung volumes using sensors | 218 | $43 | $143 |
| Test to examine how well the lungs exchange gases | 218 | $46 | $154 |
| Blood count, hemoglobin | 156 | $2 | $6 |
| Chest X-ray, 2 views | 136 | $19 | $89 |
| Test to measure expiratory airflow and volume | 132 | $22 | $70 |
| Test to measure expiratory airflow and volume changes before and after medication administration | 132 | $32 | $102 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 122 | $126 | $434 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 118 | $68 | $236 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity | 106 | $139 | $508 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity | 33 | $105 | $346 |
| Irrigation and suction of lung airways to obtain cells using an endoscope | 21 | $57 | $682 |
| Biopsy of lobe of lung using an endoscope, 1 lobe | 20 | $47 | $1,005 |
| Needle biopsy of windpipe cartilage, airway, and/or lung using an endoscope | 18 | $72 | $1,233 |
| Computer-assisted image-guided navigation of lung airways using an endoscope | 17 | $78 | $3,056 |
| Destruction of growth or narrowing of lung airway using an endoscope | 17 | $204 | $660 |
| Exam of lung airways with diagnostic or therapeutic procedure on growths using an endoscope and ultrasound | 17 | $54 | $322 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 17 | $176 | $574 |
| Smoking and tobacco use intensive counseling, 4-10 minutes | 15 | $15 | $38 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) | 14 | $147 | $469 |
| Diagnostic exam of lung airway using an endoscope | 12 | $107 | $657 |
| Exam of lung airways and sampling of lymph nodes using an endoscope and ultrasound guidance, 1-2 lymph nodes | 11 | $138 | $3,513 |
| Review by radiologist of ct guidance for needle placement | 11 | $58 | $241 |
| Test for exercise-induced lung stress | 11 | $25 | $87 |
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 (59%) 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. Santacruz is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 4% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 12%), 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. Santacruz experienced with hospital follow-up visit, high complexity?
Does Dr. Santacruz receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Santacruz's costs compare to other critical care medicines in Houston?
What does Data Coverage mean?
Is this data up to date?
Explore related providers
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