Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Ugonna Ihekweazu, M.D.

Orthopedic Surgery · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
7401 MAIN ST, Houston, TX 77030
7137992300
Registered in NPPES since 2012
NPI: 1841558129 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. Ihekweazu 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. Ihekweazu

Dr. Ugonna Ihekweazu is an orthopedic surgery specialist in Houston, TX, with 14 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ihekweazu performed 1,578 Medicare services in 2023. These records do not provide a deduplicated patient total.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ihekweazu received a total of $235,731 from 24 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 271 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly reported through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their effect on care. A reliable breakdown by payment category is not available in this snapshot. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Ihekweazu is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 14 years of NPI registration ▲ Top 40% volume in TX $235,731 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary — 2023

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,578
Medicare services
Top 40% in TX for orthopedic surgery
Not available
Unique patients (not deduplicated)
$139
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →

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
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
362 $63 $233
Knee X-ray, 3 views
An X-ray imaging test of the knee joint that captures three different angles to evaluate the bones and surrounding structures.
212 $30 $121
Knee X-ray, 4 or more views
An imaging test using X-rays to create multiple pictures of the knee joint from different angles.
212 $34 $138
Hip X-ray, 2-3 views
An X-ray imaging test of the hip joint using two to three different angles to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
197 $33 $140
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)
A follow-up office visit for an existing patient lasting between 30 and 39 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
152 $92 $338
New patient office visit (45-59 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter.
123 $112 $510
Total knee replacement 87 $1,042 $4,293
Joint injection, major joint
Removal of fluid from a large joint and/or injection of medication into the joint space.
62 $40 $237
Methylprednisolone acetate injection, 80 mg
An injection of 80 mg of methylprednisolone acetate, a corticosteroid medication.
51 $9 $30
Total hip replacement
Surgical procedure to replace the thigh bone and hip joint with artificial components.
44 $1,059 $4,298
Computer-assisted surgical navigation
Use of computer technology and fluoroscopic imaging to guide orthopedic surgical procedures with precision.
22 $192 $750
Computer-assisted surgery for muscle and bone procedure
A surgical procedure involving muscles or bones that utilizes computer technology to assist with planning or execution.
18 $118 $464
X-ray of both hips, 3-4 views
An X-ray imaging test that captures 3 to 4 views of both hip joints to visualize the bones and surrounding structures.
18 $41 $161
New patient office visit (30-44 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range.
18 $91 $334
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. These counts do not measure clinical quality or years of experience.
9.4% high complexity
7.2% medium
83.4% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$235,731
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $33,676/year across 7 years
Top 4% in TX for orthopedic surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
24
Companies
271
Payment records
Payments are publicly reported; disclosure does not establish legality · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →

Payment categories are unavailable while the source breakdown is being rebuilt. Company and year totals do not identify how much belongs to each category.

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$117,560
2023
$71,956
2022
$26,573
2021
$12,955
2020
$1,082
2019
$2,804
2018
$2,800

Payments by company (2024)

Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$111,329
DePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
$4,757
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$1,020
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$277
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$159
Medtronic, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 99.6% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$213,161
DePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
$10,769
Synthes GmbH
$4,217
Stryker Corporation
$2,444
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$2,207
Exactech, Inc.
$525
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$277
KCI USA, Inc
$249
Abbott Laboratories
$229
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$184
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$159
Avanos Medical
$145
Mallinckrodt LLC
$137
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$130
PFIZER INC.
$125
Medacta USA, Inc.
$122
Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
$121
Amgen Inc.
$116
Engage Uni, LLC
$114
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$107
Novo Nordisk Inc
$88
Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.
$57
Medinc of Texas
$32
Medtronic, Inc.
$17
Top 3 companies account for 96.8% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCOLADE · ACTIS · AMIStem · AMPLATZER · AQUAMANTYS · ATTUNE · AUSTEDO · Accu-pass · COOLIEF COOLED RADIOFREQUENCY · CORAIL · ELIQUIS · EMPHASYS · Engage Partial Knee System · Equinoxe · GENERATOR · GMRS · HIP ENDURANCE · INSPIRE · MAKO · OFIRMEV · ORTHO CEPT · PREVENA · Rybelsus · THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · TRIATHLON · TRIDENT · Truliant · V-LOC 180 · Velys · XARELTO · Zilretta
Should you be concerned? Industry payments are disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their purpose, legality, or effect on care. 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 →
Looking for an orthopedic surgery specialist in Houston?
Compare orthopedic surgeons in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse orthopedic surgeons nearby

Geographic Context

Orthopedic surgeons in nearby ZIP areas
309
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital to ZIP centroid (approximate)
MEMORIAL HERMANN - TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPES NPPES snapshot; verify current record
Medicare Enrollment PECOS PECOS snapshot
Practice Data Medicare Util. Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open Payments CY 2024
Disciplinary History — Not included N/A

This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Ihekweazu is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Ihekweazu experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ihekweazu performed 362 office visit, established patient (20-29 min) services. These records cover Medicare fee-for-service activity, including eligible younger beneficiaries; they do not measure total practice volume or clinical quality.
Does Dr. Ihekweazu receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ihekweazu received a total of $235,731 from 24 companies across 271 payment records. A record can group multiple payments. These transfers are publicly disclosed through CMS Open Payments. Disclosure alone does not establish their legality or effect on care. 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. Ihekweazu's costs compare to other orthopedic surgeons in Houston?
Dr. Ihekweazu's average Medicare payment per service is $139. 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. Ihekweazu) 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 the presence of registry, enrollment, activity or payment records, not verified experience or clinical quality. 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?
Source publication dates and the snapshots loaded on this site can differ. Rebuilding a page does not refresh its source records. Check the Medicare reporting year and the payment interval shown above; consult the linked official sources for newer releases and current registry details. See our data freshness policy →
About this page

This page combines public CMS records with calculated summaries and explanatory procedure labels. These transformations are not verbatim federal records. Sources: 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. Data Coverage reflects 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. Industry payment disclosure alone establishes neither wrongdoing nor legality. 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 →