https://doctransparency.com/doctor/tx/houston/shanda-blackmon-1952347965
Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Shanda Blackmon, M.D., M.P.H.

Thoracic Surgery · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
7200 CAMBRIDGE ST FL 6, Houston, TX 77030
7137986376
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1952347965 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. Blackmon 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. Blackmon? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Blackmon

Dr. Shanda Blackmon is a thoracic surgery in Houston, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Blackmon performed 63 Medicare services across 56 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Blackmon received a total of $48,229 from 10 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 52 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in thoracic surgery. 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. Blackmon 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▲ 63 Medicare services$ $48,229 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
63
Medicare services
Bottom 27% in TX for thoracic surgery
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
56
Unique beneficiaries
$92
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~3 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
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)42$96$286
New patient office visit (30-44 min)21$85$323
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 ↗
$48,229
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $6,890/year across 7 years
Top 12% in TX for thoracic surgery
10
Companies
52
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
$22,718 (47.1%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$11,905 (24.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$11,652 (24.2%)
Scientific / Research
Research funding and grants
$1,954 (4.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$2,032
2023
$2,092
2022
$4,801
2021
$5,135
2020
$13,023
2019
$9,714
2018
$11,431

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Covidien LP
$24,427
Medtronic, Inc.
$11,755
Olympus Corporation
$6,223
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$2,656
MEDELA LLC
$1,800
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$947
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$270
Genentech USA, Inc.
$80
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$51
Ethicon US, LLC
$20
Top 3 companies account for 87.9% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AVALUS · Alecensa · Art. 101030215 Thopaz+ Chest Drainage · Da Vinci Surgical System · ECHELON ENDOPATH · ECHELON FLEX Stapler · LIGASURE · SIGNIA · TAGRISSO · VISERA ELITE · superDimension
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 (47%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers.

Equivalent to $76,554 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a thoracic surgery in Houston?
Compare thoracic surgerys in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Thoracic Surgerys within 10 mi
109
Per 100K population
2.3
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. Blackmon is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (consulting-driven, top 12%), 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. Blackmon experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Blackmon performed 42 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. Blackmon receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Blackmon received a total of $48,229 from 10 companies across 52 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. Blackmon's costs compare to other thoracic surgerys in Houston?
Dr. Blackmon's average Medicare payment per service is $92. 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. Blackmon) 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 →