Dr. Merrick Ross, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Ross
Dr. Merrick Ross is a surgical oncology physician in Houston, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ross performed 459 Medicare services across 448 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ross received a total of $227,725 from 10 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 153 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in surgical oncology 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. Ross 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
100 | $47 | $170 |
| Intraoperative lymph node imaging Imaging performed during surgery to visualize lymph nodes. |
65 | $113 | $1,655 |
| Deep underarm lymph node biopsy or removal A procedure to remove or sample deep lymph nodes located in the underarm area for examination. |
40 | $284 | $3,965 |
| Injection of radioactive material for lymph node identification A radioactive substance is injected to help locate lymph nodes during imaging procedures. |
38 | $13 | $1,536 |
| Punch biopsy of first skin growth A small, circular piece of skin is removed from a skin growth using a circular blade. The sample is then sent to a laboratory for examination. |
33 | $35 | $373 |
| 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. |
33 | $106 | $491 |
| Surgical removal of skin cancer, 2.1-3.0 cm This procedure involves the surgical excision of a cancerous skin growth located on the body, arms, or legs. The size of the removed tissue measures between 2.1 and 3.0 centimeters. |
32 | $115 | $1,047 |
| Deep neck lymph node biopsy or removal A procedure to remove or sample deep lymph nodes located in the neck for examination. |
31 | $258 | $3,495 |
| Surgical removal of large skin cancer growth Surgical excision of a malignant skin lesion located on the body, arms, or legs that measures more than 4.0 centimeters in diameter. |
17 | $143 | $1,896 |
| Complicated wound repair, each additional 5 cm or less This code covers the additional work for a complex surgical repair of a wound on the scalp, arms, or legs when the repair extends beyond the initial measurement. It is billed for each incremental 5-centimeter segment added to the primary procedure. |
16 | $65 | $578 |
| Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting 10 to 19 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
16 | $27 | $123 |
| Complicated wound repair, scalp/arms/legs, 2.6-7.5 cm A complex surgical procedure to close a wound on the scalp, arms, or legs that measures between 2.6 and 7.5 centimeters in length. |
13 | $100 | $1,516 |
| Partial removal of breast | 13 | $566 | $3,761 |
| Surgical removal of large skin cancer growth Surgical excision of a skin cancer lesion larger than 4.0 cm located on the scalp, neck, hands, feet, or genitals. |
12 | $119 | $2,373 |
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 (54%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 2% for surgical oncology physician in TX.
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. Ross is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 14% in TX), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 2% of TX peers, 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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