Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Phillip Brunson, OD

Optometrist · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
5115 MAIN ST, Houston, TX 77002
2814467900
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1265435507 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. Brunson 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. Brunson? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Brunson

Dr. Phillip Brunson is an optometrist in Houston, TX, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Brunson performed 907 Medicare services across 757 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Brunson received a total of $163,372 from 39 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 721 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optometrist. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Brunson 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 12% volume in TX $163,372 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
907
Medicare services
Top 12% in TX for optometrist
757
Unique beneficiaries
$64
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~45 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
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 282 $93 $250
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient 149 $76 $195
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 135 $67 $155
Retinal imaging (OCT scan) 109 $29 $109
Optic nerve imaging (OCT scan) 87 $24 $100
Visual field test, extended 76 $48 $150
Retinal photography (fundus photo) 58 $26 $110
New patient office visit (45-59 min) 11 $81 $350
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 ↗
$163,372
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $23,339/year across 7 years
Top 0% in TX for optometrist
39
Companies
721
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$149,320 (91.4%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$10,551 (6.5%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$3,501 (2.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$33,773
2023
$14,979
2022
$44,229
2021
$13,168
2020
$9,840
2019
$28,468
2018
$18,915

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Allergan, Inc.
$41,192
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$31,217
Allergan Inc.
$16,752
ABBVIE INC.
$16,571
Shire North American Group Inc
$16,307
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$13,716
AbbVie Inc.
$12,195
Alcon Vision LLC
$4,759
Eyevance Pharmaceuticals LLC
$4,532
Alcon Laboratories Inc
$1,118
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$1,001
Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.
$754
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$532
SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES INC.
$383
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$336
Carl Zeiss Meditec USA, Inc.
$329
GLAUKOS CORPORATION
$233
Dompe US, Inc.
$212
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS INC.
$155
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$141
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$136
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS, INC.
$134
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
$98
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$58
TissueTech, Inc.
$56
Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.
$56
NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
$50
Quidel Corporation
$48
Sight Sciences, Inc.
$38
BioTissue Holdings, Inc.
$38
Amgen Inc.
$34
MacuLogix, Inc.
$33
Harrow Eye, LLC
$30
CooperVision Inc.
$26
Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$23
Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC
$22
TOPCON HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS, INC.
$21
TearLab Corp
$19
Derma Sciences, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 54.6% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTHAR · ACTIVEFOCUS · ALDEN SCLERAL ZENLENS · ALPHAGAN P · AcrySof · AcrySof IQ PanOptix UV IOL · Acuvue · AdaptDx · BIOFIX · BromSite (bromfenac ophthalmic solution) 0.075% · CEQUA · CEQUA (cyclosporine ophthalmic solution) 0.09% · CIRRUS HD-OCT · CLARUS · COMBIGAN · Centurion · Cequa · Clareon · DAILIES · DAILIES TOTAL1 · DURYSTA · EYSUVIS · Eye Health · Flarex · HARMONY · HYDRUS Microstent · IACCESS · INFUSE · INVELTYS · Izervay · KXL SYSTEM · LOTEMAX · LOTEMAX SM · LUMIGAN · MIEBO · MyDay Contact Lens · OXERVATE · Oxervate · PROKERA · Precision 1 · Prokera · RESTASIS · RESTASIS MULTIDOSE · ReSTOR · Rhopressa · Rocklatan · Simbrinza · TEARCARE SYSTEM · TECNIS IOL · TEPEZZA · TYRVAYA · TearCare · TearLab Osmolarity System · Tecnis 1-piece IOL · Tecnis Multifocal Family of 1-piece IOLS · Tobradex ST · ULTRA · VEVYE · VUITY · VYZULTA · WaveLight EX500 Excimer Laser · Wavelight · Wavelight Refractive Suite · XDEMVY · XELPROS · XIIDRA · ZYLET · rocklatan
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 →

The majority of payments (91%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in optometrist and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 0% for optometrist in TX.

Equivalent to $18,012 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for an optometrist in Houston?
Compare optometrists in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Optometrists within 10 mi
1,197
Per 100K population
25.2
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
ST JOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER
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. Brunson is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 12% in TX), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 0% 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. Brunson experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Brunson performed 282 office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 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. Brunson receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Brunson received a total of $163,372 from 39 companies across 721 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. Brunson's costs compare to other optometrists in Houston?
Dr. Brunson's average Medicare payment per service is $64. 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. Brunson) 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 →