Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Michael Stephen, M.D.
Interventional Cardiology · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Cardiac Imaging
— Practice with significant diagnostic imaging and stress testing
Low-engagement
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. Stephen 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. Stephen
Dr. Michael Stephen is an interventional cardiology specialist in Houston, TX, with 14 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Stephen performed 6,690 Medicare services across 3,903 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Stephen received a total of $8,169 from 32 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 369 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in interventional cardiology. 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. Stephen 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.
✓ 14 years in practice
▲ Top 7% volume in TX
$8,169 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗6,690
Medicare services
Top 7% in TX for interventional cardiology
3,903
Unique beneficiaries
$180
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~478 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test An injection of regadenoson, a medication used to stress the heart during diagnostic testing. |
1,816 | $42 | $118 |
| 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. |
1,371 | $94 | $145 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
515 | $143 | $1,404 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review. |
494 | $54 | $575 |
| Rubidium rb-82, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 60 millicuries | 401 | $609 | $1,950 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle while at rest and during stress. |
298 | $1,058 | $3,250 |
| 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. |
280 | $64 | $150 |
| Chronic care management, additional 20 min/month This service covers an extra 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional for managing two or more chronic conditions each calendar month. |
213 | $37 | $118 |
| Chronic care management, first 20 min/month This service covers the first 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional each calendar month to manage chronic conditions. |
182 | $49 | $120 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
154 | $11 | $125 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
141 | $95 | $175 |
| 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. |
125 | $124 | $396 |
| Nuclear stress test with CT scan A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow in the heart muscle at rest and during stress, performed alongside a concurrent CT scan. |
93 | $1,937 | $6,000 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and during stress using a special camera. |
89 | $346 | $2,115 |
| Technetium Tc-99m tetrofosmin diagnostic injection A diagnostic injection of Technetium Tc-99m tetrofosmin used for imaging studies. |
88 | $70 | $500 |
| 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. |
82 | $102 | $167 |
| Sulfur hexafluoride lipid microspheres injection Injection of sulfur hexafluoride lipid microspheres measured per milliliter. |
70 | $15 | $30 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
58 | $147 | $658 |
| Remote pacemaker monitoring, 90 days Remote assessment of a pacemaker system, including single, dual, multiple lead, or leadless devices, performed up to 90 days apart. |
43 | $22 | $94 |
| Continuous ECG monitoring, up to 30 days Continuous heart rhythm monitoring for up to 30 days, including professional review and reporting of the results. |
32 | $19 | $65 |
| 30-day continuous ECG with patient-triggered event transmission and review This procedure involves continuous electrocardiogram monitoring for up to 30 days, including the transmission of patient-triggered events. A healthcare professional reviews the data and provides a report. |
32 | $678 | $2,345 |
| Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older. |
32 | $10 | $40 |
| Continuous external EKG monitoring, 48 hours to 7 days This procedure involves recording, analyzing, and interpreting a continuous external electrocardiogram (EKG) over a period of more than 48 hours up to 7 days. |
22 | $184 | $660 |
| Cardiac catheterization | 18 | $207 | $1,500 |
| Ultrasound of arm or leg veins An ultrasound exam of the veins in the arm or leg. The test uses sound waves to check blood flow and may include compression and other maneuvers. |
16 | $151 | $503 |
| Ultrasound guidance for blood vessel access Use of ultrasound imaging to help locate and access a blood vessel. This guidance assists healthcare providers in performing procedures such as inserting IV lines or drawing blood. |
14 | $12 | $40 |
| Ultrasound of leg arteries or grafts An imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the blood vessels in the legs or any surgical grafts present. |
11 | $188 | $800 |
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.
8.6% high complexity
45.5% medium
45.8% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$8,169
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,167/year across 7 years
Bottom 49% in TX for interventional cardiology
32
Companies
369
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
$8,152 (99.8%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$17 (0.2%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,349
2023
$1,015
2022
$1,145
2021
$1,125
2020
$775
2019
$574
2018
$2,186
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Abbott Laboratories
$1,989
PFIZER INC.
$946
BIOTRONIK INC.
$773
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$703
Amgen Inc.
$594
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$432
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$390
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$289
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$229
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$199
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$173
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$168
Medtronic, Inc.
$164
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$157
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$156
Acutus Medical, Inc.
$135
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$120
Boston Scientific Corporation
$107
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$95
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$60
HeartFlow, Inc.
$50
Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc
$47
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$24
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$23
Novo Nordisk Inc
$23
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$22
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$20
CVRx, Inc.
$18
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$17
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$17
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$15
GE HealthCare
$15
Top 3 companies account for 45.4% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCOLADE SR · Accent Pacemaker · Arcalyst · Assurity Pacemaker · BRILINTA · Barostim Neo System · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CHANTIX · CONFIRM RX · CRT-Ds · CardioMEMS HF System · CareLink · Confirm Rx · Corlanor · ELIQUIS · EMBLEM · ENTRESTO · EVKEEZA · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · EnSite Precision Cardiac Mapping System · Ensite Cardiac Mapping System · Exparel · FARXIGA · Flexitouch Plus · HAWKONE · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device · INVOKANA · JARDIANCE · LEQVIO · LUX-Dx Insertable Cardiac Monitor · LifeVest · MERLIN@HOME · MITRACLIP · MULTAQ · Merlin Connectivity and Remote · MitraClip System · NEXLETOL · ONPATTRO · ONYX FRONTIER · Optimizer · Ozempic · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · Pacemakers · Perclose ProGlide suture mediated closure system · Quadra Assura CRT Defibrillator · Repatha · Resolute · Rivacor · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · VERQUVO · VYNDAQEL · Vascepa · Verquvo · WATCHMAN · XARELTO · ZIO XT Patch
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 $122 per 100 Medicare services performed
Geographic Context
Interventional cardiologists within 10 mi
64
Per 100K population
1.3
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
HCA HOUSTON HEALTHCARE MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 mi
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. Stephen is a cardiac imaging specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 7% in TX), with low-engagement industry engagement.
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. Stephen experienced with regadenoson injection (lexiscan) for heart stress test?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Stephen performed 1,816 regadenoson injection (lexiscan) for heart stress test 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. Stephen receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Stephen received a total of $8,169 from 32 companies across 369 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. Stephen's costs compare to other interventional cardiologists in Houston?
Dr. Stephen's average Medicare payment per service is $180. 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. Stephen) 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 →
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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.
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