Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Krishnamurthy Shivshanker, M.D.

Gastroenterology · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
7737 SOUTHWEST FWY, Houston, TX 77074
7137772555
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1982699682 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. Shivshanker 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. Shivshanker? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Shivshanker

Dr. Krishnamurthy Shivshanker is a gastroenterology specialist in Houston, TX, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Shivshanker performed 1,935 Medicare services across 1,002 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Shivshanker received a total of $17,771 from 56 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 847 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in gastroenterology. 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. Shivshanker 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.

✓ 20 years in practice ▲ Top 7% volume in TX $17,771 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,935
Medicare services
Top 7% in TX for gastroenterology
1,002
Unique beneficiaries
$66
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~97 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.

Procedure Volume Avg. paid Avg. submitted
Tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity
A laboratory test where a pathologist examines tissue samples under a microscope to analyze cellular details. This intermediate complexity procedure involves specialized techniques to identify abnormalities in the tissue.
439 $27 $78
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
377 $63 $104
Special stain test for organisms
A laboratory test using special stains on tissue slides to identify microorganisms. The process includes the technical preparation of the slides and a professional interpretation of the results.
231 $68 $144
Special tissue stain and interpretation
A laboratory test using special stains to examine tissue samples, including the pathologist's review and written report of the findings.
212 $56 $120
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.
144 $92 $154
Upper GI endoscopy with biopsy
A procedure to collect tissue samples from the esophagus, stomach, or upper small intestine using a flexible tube with a camera. The samples are examined to check for abnormalities.
101 $85 $361
Intravenous chemotherapy infusion, 1 hour or less
Administration of chemotherapy medication directly into a vein. The procedure takes one hour or less to complete.
81 $106 $432
Colonoscopy with biopsy
A procedure to collect tissue samples from the large intestine using a flexible tube with a camera. The samples are examined to check for abnormalities or disease.
71 $131 $493
Normal saline infusion, 250 cc
Administration of 250 cubic centimeters of normal saline solution into a vein. This procedure involves the intravenous delivery of a sterile saltwater fluid.
63 $1 $7
New patient office visit (45-59 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter.
58 $110 $243
New patient office visit (30-44 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range.
51 $69 $156
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service.
38 $57 $116
Colon polyp removal with endoscopic snare
This procedure removes polyps or growths from the large bowel using a flexible tube with a camera and a wire loop tool. The snare is used to cut off the growths during the examination.
30 $200 $579
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
14 $99 $214
Colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening
A colonoscopy performed to screen for colorectal cancer in individuals who are not at high risk for the disease.
14 $186 $423
Colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening, high risk
A colonoscopy performed to screen for colorectal cancer in individuals identified as being at high risk for the disease.
11 $186 $439
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.
7.4% high complexity
10.2% medium
82.4% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$17,771
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $2,539/year across 7 years
Top 11% in TX for gastroenterology
56
Companies
847
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
$17,751 (99.9%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$20 (0.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$3,723
2023
$3,310
2022
$2,770
2021
$2,638
2020
$871
2019
$2,508
2018
$1,950

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$2,530
ABBVIE INC.
$1,806
Janssen Biotech, Inc.
$1,581
AbbVie Inc.
$1,394
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$1,283
AbbVie, Inc.
$1,070
Celgene Corporation
$899
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$727
PFIZER INC.
$652
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$552
INTRA-SANA LABORATORIES
$386
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$351
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$293
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$255
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$244
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$241
IRONWOOD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
$230
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals
$227
Celltrion USA Inc.
$209
Romark Laboratories, LC
$186
Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$182
VIVUS LLC
$171
Lilly USA, LLC
$144
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$144
Nestle HealthCare Nutrition Inc.
$140
Ardelyx, Inc.
$139
Dova Pharmaceuticals
$133
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$125
Relypsa, Inc.
$122
Ethicon US, LLC
$105
Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC
$99
QOL Medical, LLC
$94
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$91
Allergan Inc.
$83
AIMMUNE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
$78
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$76
NESTLE HEALTHCARE NUTRITION INC.
$70
GENZYME CORPORATION
$67
Shionogi Inc
$66
Evoke Pharma, Inc.
$57
INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$56
Exact Sciences Corporation
$52
Amgen Inc.
$50
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$41
EVOKE PHARMA, INC.
$37
Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc
$36
Sandoz Inc.
$36
Boston Scientific Corporation
$30
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$20
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$18
Alcresta Therapeutics, Inc.
$17
Braintree Laboratories, Inc.
$17
UCB, Inc.
$17
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$16
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$14
Allergan, Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 33.3% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AMJEVITA · APRISO · AVSOLA · Aemcolo · Alinia Tablets 500mg 30 count bottle · CLENPIQ · CREON · CYCLOSET · Cimzia · Cologuard Collection Kit · Creon · DIFICID · DUPIXENT · Dexilant · Doptelet · ENTYVIO · EOHILIA · EVUSHELD · EXPAREL · Entyvio · Epclusa · GATTEX · GENERAL ENDOCHOICE · GENERAL ENDOCHOICE · GIMOTI · GIVLAARI · HUMIRA · HYRIMOZ · Humira · IBSRELA · IDACIO · INFLECTRA · INTERSTIM · LINX Reflux Management System · LINZESS · Linzess · MAVYRET · MOTEGRITY · Mavyret · Mulpleta · OCALIVA · OMVOH · PANCREAZE · Pancreaze · Qsymia · RELISTOR ORAL · RELIZORB · RELTONE 200 MG · REMICADE · RESMETIROM · REZDIFFRA · RINVOQ · SKYRIZI · SPYGLASS · STELARA · SUPREP · Sucraid · TERLIVAZ · TREMFYA · TRULANCE · Talicia · Trulance · UCERIS · VEGZELMA · VIBERZI · VOQUEZNA · VOWST · Veltassa · XELJANZ · XIFAXAN · XIFIXAN · YUFLYMA · ZENPEP · ZEPBOUND · ZEPOSIA · ZERBAXA · ZYMFENTRA
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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $918 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a gastroenterology specialist in Houston?
Compare gastroenterologists in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse gastroenterologists nearby

Geographic Context

Gastroenterologists within 10 mi
242
Per 100K population
5.1
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
WEST OAKS HOSPITAL
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. Shivshanker is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 7% in TX), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 11% of TX peers, with 20 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

Is Dr. Shivshanker experienced with tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Shivshanker performed 439 tissue pathology examination, moderate complexity 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. Shivshanker receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Shivshanker received a total of $17,771 from 56 companies across 847 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. Shivshanker's costs compare to other gastroenterologists in Houston?
Dr. Shivshanker's average Medicare payment per service is $66. 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. Shivshanker) 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 →