Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Rafik Ghobrial M.D., M.D., PHD

Transplant Surgery Physician · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Cardiac Surgery— Surgically focused practice
Consulting-driven
6550 FANNIN ST, Houston, TX 77030
7134415141
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1326072604 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. Ghobrial M.D. 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. Ghobrial M.D.

Dr. Rafik Ghobrial M.D. is a transplant surgery physician in Houston, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ghobrial M.D. performed 11 Medicare services across 11 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ghobrial M.D. received a total of $139,454 from 46 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 302 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in transplant surgery physician. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Ghobrial M.D. 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.

✓ 19 years in practice▲ 11 Medicare services$ $139,454 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
11
Medicare services
0.1× state median for transplant surgery physician
11
Unique beneficiaries
$65
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~1 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
Preparation of donor liver for transplantation11$65$2,271
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.
100.0% high complexity
0.0% medium
0.0% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$139,454
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $19,922/year across 7 years
Top 0% in TX for transplant surgery physician
46
Companies
302
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.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$58,180 (41.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$47,642 (34.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$33,633 (24.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$66,080
2023
$51,029
2022
$9,499
2021
$1,757
2020
$583
2019
$1,740
2018
$8,767

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
TransMedics, Inc.
$67,845
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$47,642
TRANSMEDICS, INC.
$8,432
Biom'Up SA
$7,180
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$1,876
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$1,179
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$1,157
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$638
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$422
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$389
ABBVIE INC.
$304
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$230
Eisai Inc.
$221
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$217
EISAI INC.
$184
FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas Corporation
$167
INTRA-SANA LABORATORIES
$158
Bolton Medical Inc
$148
TELA Bio, Inc.
$131
Allergan Inc.
$91
Relypsa, Inc.
$90
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$87
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$76
Allergan, Inc.
$60
HemoSonics LLC
$59
Biocompatibles, Inc.
$52
Teleflex LLC
$48
Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC
$39
Octapharma USA, Inc.
$32
Cook Medical LLC
$27
Stryker Corporation
$26
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$23
Incyte Corporation
$19
EAGLE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$19
Vifor Pharma, Inc.
$18
AbbVie Inc.
$18
ACELL, INC.
$18
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$17
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$17
FUJIFILM Wako Diagnostics U.S.A. Corporation
$16
Avanos Medical
$16
Melinta Therapeutics, LLC
$16
AbbVie, Inc.
$15
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$15
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals
$14
Wound Management Technologies, Inc
$5
Top 3 companies account for 88.9% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AVYCAZ · BARHEMSYS · COOK MEDICAL DP · CORTRAK · COSENTYX · CRESEMBA · CUTAQUIG · CellerateRx · DIFICID · Epclusa · Grafts · HEMOBLAST Bellows · KEYTRUDA · Kanuma · LENVIMA · LIVTENCITY · LOKELMA · Lenvima · MYCAMINE · Mavyret · NASCOBAL · Nexavar · OASIS · ORGAN CARE SYSTEM · Ondansetron · Organ Care System · OviTex Reinforced Bioscaffold With Permanent Polymer (OviTex) · Ovitex · PEMAZYRE · PREVYMIS · PROGRAF · QUANTRA QPLUS SYSTEM · QuikClot · RELISTOR · RELTONE 200 MG · RESMETIROM · REZUROCK · Rezzayo · SOLIRIS · SPY-PHI SYSTEM · STRATTICE · SURGIMEND · Smoflipid · TEFLARO · TERLIVAZ · THERASPHERE-BIO · THYMOGLOBULIN · ULTOMIRIS · Veltassa · Wako HCC Biomarker(s) DCP and AFP-L3 · XIFAXAN · ZERBAXA · ZORTRESS · uTASWako AFP-L3
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 (42%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 0% for transplant surgery physician in TX.

Equivalent to $1,267,763 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a transplant surgery physician in Houston?
Compare transplant surgery physicians in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Transplant Surgery Physicians within 10 mi
30
Per 100K population
0.6
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
MEMORIAL HERMANN - TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
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. Ghobrial M.D. is a cardiac surgery specialist, and high industry engagement (consulting-driven, top 0%), with 19 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. Ghobrial M.D. experienced with preparation of donor liver for transplantation?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ghobrial M.D. performed 11 preparation of donor liver for transplantation 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. Ghobrial M.D. receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ghobrial M.D. received a total of $139,454 from 46 companies across 302 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. Ghobrial M.D.'s costs compare to other transplant surgery physicians in Houston?
Dr. Ghobrial M.D.'s average Medicare payment per service is $65. 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. Ghobrial M.D.) 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 →