Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Kai-Cheng Chu, M.D.

Vascular Surgery · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
1515 HOLCOMBE BLVD, Houston, TX 77030
7137926161
Registered in NPPES since 2008
NPI: 1053599084 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. Chu 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Chu

Dr. Kai-Cheng Chu is a vascular surgery specialist in Houston, TX, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Chu performed 11 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Chu received a total of $3,871 from 15 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 41 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly reported through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their effect on care. A reliable breakdown by payment category is not available in this snapshot. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Chu is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 18 years of NPI registration ▲ 11 Medicare services $3,871 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary — 2023

Medicare Utilization ↗
11
Medicare services
0.2× state median for vascular surgery
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$146
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →

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) 11 $146 $755
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. These counts do not measure clinical quality or years of experience.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$3,871
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $553/year across 7 years
Top 41% in TX for vascular surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
15
Companies
41
Payment records
Payments are publicly reported; disclosure does not establish legality · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →

Payment categories are unavailable while the source breakdown is being rebuilt. Company and year totals do not identify how much belongs to each category.

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$616
2023
$189
2022
$145
2021
$695
2020
$346
2019
$1,168
2018
$712

Payments by company (2024)

DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$285
MOTIVA USA, LLC
$134
Ethicon US, LLC
$116
Davol Inc.
$80
Top 3 companies account for 87.0% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Allergan Inc.
$768
AXOGEN
$507
Allergan, Inc.
$418
Tepha Inc
$351
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$350
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$312
AbbVie Inc.
$189
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$151
Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
$144
MOTIVA USA, LLC
$134
Sientra, Inc.
$126
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$122
Ethicon US, LLC
$116
DAVOL INC.
$102
Davol Inc.
$80
Top 3 companies account for 43.7% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ALLODERM · AVANCE NERVE GRAFT · AxoGuard Nerve Connector · AxoGuard Nerve Protector · BOTOX · CMF INSTRUMENTS · GalaFLEX · INTEGRA MESHED BILAYER WOUND MATRIX · LUMIGAN · MATRIXCOMBO · Motiva Implant Matrix · NA · NATRELLE · NATRELLE SALINE-FILLED BREAST IMPLANTS · No Related Product · PHASIX · Phasix Mesh · SIENTRA HIGH STRENGTH COHESIVE SILICONE GEL BREAST IMPLANT · STRATAFIX · SURGIMEND · TRAVATAN Z
Should you be concerned? Industry payments are disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their purpose, legality, or effect on care. 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 →
Looking for a vascular surgery specialist in Houston?
Compare vascular surgerists in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse vascular surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Vascular surgerists in nearby ZIP areas
84
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
MEMORIAL HERMANN - TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPES NPPES snapshot; verify current record
Medicare Enrollment PECOS PECOS snapshot
Practice Data Medicare Util. Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open Payments CY 2024
Disciplinary History — Not included N/A

This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Chu is a clinical cardiology specialist, with 18 years of NPI registration.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Chu experienced with new patient office visit, complex (60-74 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Chu performed 11 new patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) services. These records cover Medicare fee-for-service activity, including eligible younger beneficiaries; they do not measure total practice volume or clinical quality.
Does Dr. Chu receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Chu received a total of $3,871 from 15 companies across 41 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their legality or effect on care. 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. Chu's costs compare to other vascular surgerists in Houston?
Dr. Chu's average Medicare payment per service is $146. 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. Chu) 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 the presence of registry, enrollment, activity or payment records, not verified experience or clinical quality. 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?
Source publication dates and the snapshots loaded on this site can differ. Rebuilding a page does not refresh its source records. Check the Medicare reporting year and the payment interval shown above; consult the linked official sources for newer releases and current registry details. See our data freshness policy →
About this page

This page combines public CMS records with calculated summaries and explanatory procedure labels. These transformations are not verbatim federal records. Sources: 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. Data Coverage reflects 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. Industry payment disclosure alone establishes neither wrongdoing nor legality. 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 →