Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Matthew Higgs, M.D.

Sports Medicine (Family Medicine) Physician · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Low-engagement
1045 GEMINI ST, Houston, TX 77058
2813351111
In practice since 2008 (17 years)
NPI: 1588828800 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. Higgs 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. Higgs? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Higgs

Dr. Matthew Higgs is a sports medicine (family medicine) physician in Houston, TX, with 17 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Higgs performed 11,137 Medicare services across 1,823 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Higgs received a total of $7,043 from 46 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 213 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in sports medicine (family medicine) 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. Higgs 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.

✓ 17 years in practice▲ Top 7% volume in TX$ $7,043 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
11,137
Medicare services
Top 7% in TX for sports medicine (family medicine) physician
1,823
Unique beneficiaries
$18
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~655 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
Joint lubricant injection (TriVisc)3,528$7$31
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)3,478$1$4
Joint lubricant injection (Synvisc)1,648$7$31
Joint injection, major joint500$59$270
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)421$67$311
Hyaluronan or derivative, orthovisc, for intra-articular injection, per dose317$99$467
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)220$87$420
Aspiration and/or injection of fluid large joint using ultrasound guidance209$83$378
X-ray of knee, 4 or more views154$35$158
New patient office visit (30-44 min)100$81$381
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views94$26$120
X-ray of shoulder blade89$18$86
New patient office visit (45-59 min)74$116$564
Hip X-ray, 2-3 views63$36$160
Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement61$91$385
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views41$32$139
Injection, ketorolac tromethamine, per 15 mg40$0$3
X-ray of knee, 1-2 views35$27$125
X-ray of upper spine, 2-3 views24$31$130
Injection of trigger points, 1-2 muscles14$39$177
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle14$10$55
X-ray of hand, minimum of 3 views13$23$135
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 2024 ↗
$7,043
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,006/year across 7 years
Top 13% in TX for sports medicine (family medicine) physician
46
Companies
213
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
$7,043 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,243
2023
$825
2022
$1,060
2021
$1,499
2020
$878
2019
$840
2018
$699

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Stryker Corporation
$1,790
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$1,111
Amgen Inc.
$415
Horizon Pharma plc
$411
Bioventus LLC
$340
Abbott Laboratories
$283
SI-BONE, Inc.
$185
Radius Health, Inc.
$178
Anika Therapeutics, Inc.
$156
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$151
Relievant Medsystems, Inc.
$147
Brixton Biosciences, Inc.
$146
Sanara MedTech Inc.
$142
SI-BONE, INC.
$125
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$122
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$99
PAINTEQ LLC
$81
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$80
Nevro Corp.
$77
Pacira Therapeutics, Inc.
$73
Medinc of Texas
$72
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$70
VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
$66
Sonex Health, Inc.
$64
Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.
$62
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$56
Avanos Medical
$50
Fidia Pharma USA Inc.
$50
Flowonix Medical Incorporated
$48
Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$40
Boston Scientific Corporation
$40
KCI USA, Inc.
$37
ERMI Inc.
$31
Lilly USA, LLC
$30
Ossur Americas, Inc.
$28
Davol Inc.
$27
Heron Therapeutics, Inc.
$20
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$20
Ethicon US, LLC
$18
Vericel Corporation
$17
IBSA Pharma Inc.
$17
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$16
FIDIA PHARMA USA INC.
$15
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$13
US WorldMeds, LLC
$13
HydroCision, Inc.
$11
Top 3 companies account for 47.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCOLADE · ARISTA AH FLEXITIP · AUGMENT INJECTABLE · Axium INS DRG IPG · Biomet Orthopak · COOLIEF · CROSSFLOW · CellerateRx · DUEXIS · DUROLANE · Durolane · ETERNA · ETHICON · EUFLEXXA · EXOGEN ULTRASOUND BONE HEALING SYSTEM · EXPAREL · Exogen Ultrasound Bone Healing System · Exparel · FLEXITOUCH · FORTEO · GAMMA · GELSYN 3 · GELSYN-3 · Gel-One Cross-linked Hyaluronate · General - Pain Management · HYALGAN · HYMOVIS · IFUSE IMPLANT · INSPACE · Intracept · KRYSTEXXA · Lucemyra/Lofexidine · MACI · MAKO · MONOVISC · MOVANTIK · Miami J · NO_PRODUCT · Nalu Neurostimulation System · Neural Ice · ORTHOVISC · PAINTEQ · PENNSAID · PREVENA · PRIMARY CARE - DISEASE STATE · PROCLAIM · Prometra II · SUPARTZ FX SODIUM HYALURONATE · SX-ONE MICROKNIFE · SYNVISC-ONE · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Supartz · TRIATHLON · Tactoset · TenJet · Tirosint · Tymlos · ZEPBOUND · ZIPSOR · ZYNRELEF · Zilretta · iFuse Implant
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 $63 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a sports medicine (family medicine) physician in Houston?
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Geographic Context

Sports Medicine (Family Medicine) Physicians within 10 mi
14
Per 100K population
0.3
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
HOUSTON METHODIST CLEAR LAKE HOSPITAL
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
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. Higgs is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 7% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 13%), with 17 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. Higgs experienced with joint lubricant injection (trivisc)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Higgs performed 3,528 joint lubricant injection (trivisc) 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. Higgs receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Higgs received a total of $7,043 from 46 companies across 213 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. Higgs's costs compare to other sports medicine (family medicine) physicians in Houston?
Dr. Higgs's average Medicare payment per service is $18. 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. Higgs) 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 →