https://doctransparency.com/doctor/tx/houston/thuan-dao-1164778528
Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Thuan Dao, MD

Pain Medicine · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
6464 SAVOY DR STE 205, Houston, TX 77036
8325380261
In practice since 2012 (13 years)
NPI: 1164778528 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. Dao 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. Dao? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Dao

Dr. Thuan Dao is a pain medicine in Houston, TX, with 13 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Dao performed 1,469 Medicare services across 331 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Dao received a total of $22,126 from 72 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 736 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pain medicine. 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. Dao 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.

✓ 13 years in practice▲ Top 46% volume in TX$ $22,126 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,469
Medicare services
Top 46% in TX for pain medicine
331
Unique beneficiaries
$42
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~113 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
Injection, bupivicaine, not otherwise specified, 0.5 mg515$0$175
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)482$92$750
Injection, midazolam hydrochloride, per 1 mg174$0$52
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)107$52$350
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg80$6$131
New patient office visit (45-59 min)49$124$1,050
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle30$11$129
Injection of lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance, single level16$194$8,779
Injection of lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance, second level16$103$4,452
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 ↗
$22,126
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $3,161/year across 7 years
Top 11% in TX for pain medicine
72
Companies
736
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
$22,086 (99.8%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$40 (0.2%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$3,444
2023
$2,031
2022
$3,697
2021
$2,015
2020
$1,615
2019
$3,904
2018
$5,419

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic, Inc.
$2,455
Abbott Laboratories
$2,413
Nevro Corp.
$2,343
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$1,790
Saluda Medical Americas, Inc.
$1,786
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$1,393
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$1,295
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$1,256
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$604
Boston Scientific Corporation
$473
PAINTEQ LLC
$464
Genesys Orthopedics Systems, L.L.C.
$351
Zynex Medical, Inc.
$336
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$326
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$311
Egalet US Inc
$282
PFIZER INC.
$249
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$244
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$218
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$214
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$199
Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA
$167
Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
$164
Zyla Life Sciences
$154
BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc.
$151
Davol Inc.
$147
Vertiflex, Inc.
$133
Spinal Simplicity, LLC
$126
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$125
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$121
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$118
Flowonix Medical Incorporated
$114
GRT US Holding, Inc.
$91
BIODELIVERY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
$85
Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$81
Sentynl Therapeutics, Inc.
$77
Shionogi Inc
$77
Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$69
Eisai Inc.
$68
Bioventus LLC
$66
Zyla Life Sciences, Inc.
$65
Nalu Medical, Inc.
$63
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$61
FORTE BIO-PHARMA LLC
$60
Averitas Pharma Inc.
$54
Virtus Pharmaceuticals LLC
$49
Kaleo, Inc.
$39
TerSera Therapeutics LLC
$39
ASSERTIO THERAPEUTICS, Inc.
$36
FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc.
$35
Purdue Pharma L.P.
$35
MERZ NORTH AMERICA, INC.
$35
West Therapeutics Development, LLC
$34
ACACIA PHARMA INC
$34
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$30
Allergan, Inc.
$26
Assertio Therapeutics, Inc.
$26
AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$23
IBSA Pharma Inc.
$23
Aziyo Biologics, Inc.
$21
Amgen Inc.
$21
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$21
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$19
SCILEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$18
Avanos Medical
$18
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$17
Merz North America, Inc.
$16
Vertical Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$16
Bausch Health US, LLC
$15
SI-BONE, Inc.
$15
Medline Industries, Inc.
$14
Horizon Pharma plc
$12
Top 3 companies account for 32.6% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ADAPTIVESTIM · AIMOVIG · ARYMO ER · ASCENDA · Aemcolo · Aimovig · Axium INS DRG IPG · BELBUCA · BUNAVAIL · BUNAVAIL 2.1 mg 30-count box · BYFAVO · Belbuca · Cambia · Custom Never Block Tray · DEXTILE · DSUVIA · DUEXIS · DUPIXENT · Dayvigo · Durolane · ECM Patch · EMBEDA · ETERNA · Edge Ultrasound System · Evoke · Evzio · Exparel · FASENRA · FREESTYLE LIBRE 2 · FREESTYLE LIBRE 3 · GELSYN-3 · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · Gralise · HA MINUTEMAN G3-R · HORIZANT · Horizant · INTELLIS · INTELLIS ADAPTIVESTIM · Kloxxado · LEVORPHANOL TARTRATE · LICART · LORZONE · LUCEMYRA · LYRICA · Lazanda · Levorphanol Tartrate · MIGRANAL · MOVANTIK · Morphabond ER · Movantik · NURTEC ODT · Nalu Neurostimulation System · Neuromodulation Dspsbls and Accs · Nexwave · Nucynta · Omnia · PAINTEQ · PENNSAID · PRECISION · PRIALT · PROCLAIM · PRODIGY · PROLATE · Phasix Mesh · Pouch · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · Prodigy Family of SCS IPGs · Prometra II · QUTENZA · Qutenza · RAYOS · RELISTOR · RELISTOR ORAL · RESTORE · SI Joint · SILENOR · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPRINT PNS System · SPRIX · SYMPROIC · SYNCHROMED · SYNCHROMEDII · Senza · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Supartz FX Sodium Hyaluronate · Superion ISS · Symproic · TRIVISC SODIUM HYALURONATE · Talicia · UBRELVY · VANTA ADAPTIVESTIM · VECTRIS · VIMOVO · Vemlidy · Vyrsa V1 · XEOMIN · XTAMPZA · XTAMPZAER · Xtampza ER · XtampzaER · ZOHYDRO ER · ZORVOLEX · ZTLido · ZTLido 30 POUCH in 1 CARTON 1 PATCH in 1 POUCH · Zilretta · Zipsor · iFuse Implant · mild Device Kit
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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $1,506 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a pain medicine in Houston?
Compare pain medicines in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Pain Medicines within 10 mi
79
Per 100K population
1.7
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
WEST OAKS HOSPITAL
1.5 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. Dao is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 11%).

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. Dao experienced with injection, bupivicaine, not otherwise specified, 0.5 mg?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Dao performed 515 injection, bupivicaine, not otherwise specified, 0.5 mg 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. Dao receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Dao received a total of $22,126 from 72 companies across 736 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. Dao's costs compare to other pain medicines in Houston?
Dr. Dao's average Medicare payment per service is $42. 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. Dao) 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 →