Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Richard Kim, M.D.

Urology Physician · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1740 W 27TH ST, Houston, TX 77008
7138640533
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1356434765 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. Kim 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. Kim

Dr. Richard Kim is an urology physician in Houston, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Kim performed 1,593 Medicare services across 1,078 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Kim received a total of $3,841 from 28 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 85 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urology 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. Kim 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 ▲ 1,593 Medicare services $3,841 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,593
Medicare services
Bottom 46% in TX for urology physician
1,078
Unique beneficiaries
$49
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~84 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
Automated urinalysis 464 $2 $4
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 249 $66 $182
Bladder ultrasound after voiding 243 $8 $24
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 231 $91 $256
Leuprolide acetate (for depot suspension), 7.5 mg 105 $135 $440
Ceftriaxone antibiotic injection 52 $0 $4
New patient office visit (45-59 min) 46 $98 $336
Diagnostic exam of bladder and urethra using an endoscope 38 $179 $486
Insertion of temporary bladder tube 33 $31 $90
Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity 31 $41 $99
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity 27 $107 $262
Administration of hormonal anti-neoplastic chemotherapy under skin or into muscle 23 $25 $68
New patient office visit (30-44 min) 19 $73 $226
Biopsy of prostate gland 18 $181 $489
Ultrasound scan of pelvic region through rectum 14 $107 $283
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 ↗
$3,841
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $549/year across 7 years
Top 44% in TX for urology physician
28
Companies
85
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
$2,412 (62.8%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$1,429 (37.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$217
2023
$375
2022
$750
2021
$388
2020
$72
2019
$291
2018
$1,748

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Coloplast Corp
$1,574
Medtronic, Inc.
$376
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$370
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$333
Boston Scientific Corporation
$231
C. R. Bard, Inc. & Subsidiaries
$154
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$145
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$106
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$93
PFIZER INC.
$64
ABBVIE INC.
$49
180 Medical, Inc.
$36
Olympus America Inc.
$34
Axonics, Inc.
$26
Ambu Inc.
$24
Cook Medical LLC
$23
C. R. BARD, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES
$22
AbbVie, Inc.
$21
Calyxo, Inc.
$20
Antares Pharma, Inc.
$18
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$17
Retrophin, Inc.
$17
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$16
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$15
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$14
UROVANT SCIENCES INC
$14
Allergan Inc.
$14
Allergan, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 60.4% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(815) Thiola · ALTIS · Altis · Axonics · BOTOX · BOTOX THERAPEUTIC · CVAC ASPIRATION SYSTEM · Cook Medical Urology · Da Vinci Surgical System · FARXIGA · GEMTESA · GENERAL BPH · GENERAL ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION · INLAY OPTIMA · INTERSTIM · Kerendia · LUPRON DEPOT · Lupron Depot · MYRBETRIQ · Myrbetriq · NUZYRA · Olympus Guidewires · Porges Coloplast · RENASYS Touch · Rezum Generator · Solyx SIS System · SpaceOAR VUE System - 10mL · TACTRA · XIAFLEX · XTANDI · XYOSTED · Xtandi · iTIND System
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 (63%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $241 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for an urology physician in Houston?
Compare urology physicians in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Urology physicians within 10 mi
213
Per 100K population
4.5
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
MEMORIAL HERMANN HOSPITAL SYSTEM
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. Kim is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, 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

Is Dr. Kim experienced with automated urinalysis?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Kim performed 464 automated urinalysis 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. Kim receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Kim received a total of $3,841 from 28 companies across 85 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. Kim's costs compare to other urology physicians in Houston?
Dr. Kim's average Medicare payment per service is $49. 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. Kim) 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 →