Dr. Ricardo Alvarez, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Alvarez
Dr. Ricardo Alvarez is a medical oncology in Houston, TX, with 18 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Alvarez performed 624 Medicare services across 184 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Alvarez received a total of $465,495 from 72 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 772 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in medical oncology. 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. Alvarez 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete blood count (CBC) with differential | 147 | $8 | $23 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 127 | $95 | $395 |
| Administration of chemotherapy into vein, 1 hour or less | 101 | $101 | $414 |
| Infusion into a vein for therapy, prevention, or diagnosis, additional sequential infusion, 1 hour or less | 95 | $22 | $91 |
| Injection of additional new drug or substance into vein | 62 | $12 | $55 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) | 27 | $8 | $9 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 25 | $64 | $280 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle | 24 | $11 | $53 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 16 | $178 | $673 |
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 ›
The majority of payments (89%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in medical oncology and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 4% for medical oncology 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. Alvarez is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (speaking/promotional, top 4%), with 18 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. Alvarez experienced with complete blood count (cbc) with differential?
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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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