Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Robert Baldwin, MD

Thoracic Surgery · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
TEXAS SURGICAL ASSOCIATES, Houston, TX 77074
7137763402
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1154321487 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. Baldwin 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. Baldwin

Dr. Robert Baldwin is a thoracic surgery in Houston, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Baldwin performed 991 Medicare services across 767 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Baldwin received a total of $12,391 from 25 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 212 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. 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. Baldwin 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 3% volume in TX$ $12,391 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
991
Medicare services
Top 3% in TX for thoracic surgery
767
Unique beneficiaries
$123
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~50 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
Complete ultrasound study of arm and leg arteries162$83$470
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)132$98$400
Ultrasound of leg arteries or artery grafts119$184$778
Ultrasound of both sides of head and neck blood flow77$124$614
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)76$69$309
Ultrasound of arm arteries or artery grafts60$147$688
Complete ultrasound of aorta, vena cava, groin vessels or bypass grafts56$116$634
Ultrasound of hemodialysis access43$95$473
Complete ultrasound of abdomen and pelvis artery and vein blood flow38$221$932
Ultrasonic guidance for blood vessel access33$12$45
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min)33$169$689
Initial hospital admission, high complexity30$143$616
Ultrasound study of arm or leg veins with compression and maneuvers22$127$618
Review by radiologist of abdominal aorta image21$56$406
Review by radiologist of both arms or legs arteries image21$76$200
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity17$63$221
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity14$108$418
Insertion of stent in dialysis segment with review by radiologist13$169$641
Revision of hemodialysis graft12$603$2,338
Insertion of needle and/or tube into hemodialysis circuit and insertion of stent in dialysis segment with review by radiologist12$243$975
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.
8.2% high complexity
53.8% medium
38.0% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$12,391
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,770/year across 7 years
Top 30% in TX for thoracic surgery
25
Companies
212
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
$9,255 (74.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$3,136 (25.3%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,058
2023
$1,686
2022
$2,750
2021
$2,325
2020
$866
2019
$2,192
2018
$1,515

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$4,799
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$4,250
Endologix LLC
$1,243
Medtronic, Inc.
$351
Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
$333
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$172
Boston Scientific Corporation
$170
BARD PERIPHERAL VASCULAR, INC.
$161
Surmodics, Inc.
$133
Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
$117
Veran Medical Technologies, Inc.
$102
Aziyo Biologics, Inc.
$89
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$78
Inari Medical, Inc.
$63
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$55
Cook Medical LLC
$45
ATRICURE, INC.
$39
LeMaitre Vascular, Inc.
$39
Bolton Medical Inc
$31
AtriCure, Inc.
$30
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$22
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$20
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$20
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$15
Ethicon US, LLC
$15
Top 3 companies account for 83.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACC2 CARDIAC CRYOSURGICAL SYSTEM · AFX2 Bifurcated Endograft System · ALPHAVAC · ARTEGRAFT · ARTEGRAFT VASCULAR GRAFT · Alto Abdominal Stent Graft System · Amplia MRI · COVERA · COYOTE · Cook Medical AAA · Da Vinci Surgical System · Diamondback Peripheral · ECM · ECM Patch · ELUVIA · ENDURANT IIS · EVARREST · EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis · EXCLUDER Iliac Branch Endoprosthesis · EXPRESS · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra Transcatheter Heart Valve · EkoSonic · Endurant · Exparel · FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER · GENERAL ATHERECTOMY · GORE EXCLUDER AAA Endoprosthesis · GORE TAG Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis · GORE VIABAHN Endoprosthesis with Heparin · GORE VIABAHN VBX Balloon Expandable Endo · General - Angioplasty · HawkOne · IN.PACT AV · INNOVA · INTERLOCK · JETSTREAM · KONECT RESILIA · LUTONIX · LUTONIX Drug Coated Balloon · MITRIS RESILIA Mitral Valve · PICO 7 · Peripheral Orbital Atherectomy System · Pico 14 · Pouch · RELIATACK · Ranger · S · SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA · STERLING · SURGIMEND · SWIFTSET · SYNERGY ABLATION SYSTEM · Spin · Sublime 014 Rx PTA Balloon Dilatation Catheter · TAG Thoracic Endoprosthesis · TREO ABDOMINAL STENT-GRAFT SYSTEM · TurboHawk · V-LOC 180 · VENOVO · VIABAHN Endoprosthesis · VIABAHN Endoprosthesis with Heparin Bioactive Surface · VIABAHN VBX Balloon Expandable Endoprosthesis · Venovo · ZILVER PTX
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 (75%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $1,250 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a thoracic surgery in Houston?
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Geographic Context

Thoracic Surgerys within 10 mi
110
Per 100K population
2.3
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
WEST OAKS HOSPITAL
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. Baldwin is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 3% in TX), and low-engagement industry engagement, with 20 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. Baldwin experienced with complete ultrasound study of arm and leg arteries?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Baldwin performed 162 complete ultrasound study of arm and leg arteries 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. Baldwin receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Baldwin received a total of $12,391 from 25 companies across 212 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. Baldwin's costs compare to other thoracic surgerys in Houston?
Dr. Baldwin's average Medicare payment per service is $123. 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. Baldwin) 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 →