Medicare Enrolled

Dr. William Hipps, M.D.

Ophthalmology · Houston, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
7710 BEECHNUT ST, Houston, TX 77074
7137777145
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1891745618 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. Hipps 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. Hipps? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Hipps

Dr. William Hipps is an ophthalmology specialist in Houston, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Hipps performed 2,524 Medicare services across 1,984 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Hipps received a total of $2,659 from 23 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 98 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in ophthalmology. 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. Hipps 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 ▲ Top 37% volume in TX $2,659 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,524
Medicare services
Top 37% in TX for ophthalmology
1,984
Unique beneficiaries
$73
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~133 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
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 579 $88 $315
Comprehensive eye exam, established patient 454 $86 $315
Visual field test, extended 207 $45 $155
Optic nerve imaging (OCT scan) 190 $26 $90
Retinal imaging (OCT scan) 177 $30 $100
Microfluid analysis of tears 150 $22 $55
Retinal photography (fundus photo) 130 $26 $95
Comprehensive eye exam, new patient 96 $91 $370
Corneal topography and eye depth measurement 96 $31 $115
Exam of the internal drainage system of eye 90 $19 $70
Cataract surgery with lens implant 79 $430 $1,330
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 79 $67 $225
Ct scan of cornea 68 $25 $90
New patient office visit (45-59 min) 41 $111 $410
Eye exam, established patient, focused 29 $66 $225
Removal of recurring cataract in lens capsule using a laser 23 $270 $825
Ultrasound scan of cornea to determine thickness 20 $8 $30
Removal of eyelashes using forceps 16 $16 $51
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.
3.1% high complexity
18.0% medium
78.8% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$2,659
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $380/year across 7 years
Top 39% in TX for ophthalmology
23
Companies
98
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
$2,659 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$500
2023
$516
2022
$745
2021
$92
2020
$180
2019
$140
2018
$485

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ABBVIE INC.
$689
Alcon Vision LLC
$458
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$387
Allergan Inc.
$143
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$135
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$124
Allergan, Inc.
$119
Shire North American Group Inc
$114
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
$108
Quidel Corporation
$57
Thea Pharma Inc.
$44
Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$34
TissueTech, Inc.
$32
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$31
Alcon Laboratories Inc
$26
Dompe US, Inc.
$25
Sight Sciences, Inc.
$23
GLAUKOS CORPORATION
$22
Harrow Eye, LLC
$22
Biogen, Inc.
$21
Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.
$17
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc.
$16
Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 57.7% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ARGOS · AcrySof · AcrySof IQ VIVITY IOL · BESIVANCE · Clareon · DEXTENZA · DURYSTA · Eye Health · INVELTYS · LOTEMAX GEL · LUMIGAN · MIEBO · OMNI SURGICAL SYSTEM · OXERVATE · PAZEO · PROLENSA · Prokera · RESTASIS MULTIDOSE · Rocklatan · Simbrinza · TRAVATAN Z · TYRVAYA · Tecnis Multifocal Family of 1-piece IOLS · VEVYE · VUITY · VYZULTA · XDEMVY · XELPROS · XIIDRA
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 $105 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for an ophthalmology specialist in Houston?
Compare ophthalmologists in the Houston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse ophthalmologists nearby

Geographic Context

Ophthalmologists within 10 mi
271
Per 100K population
5.7
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
WEST OAKS HOSPITAL
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. Hipps 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. Hipps experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Hipps performed 579 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. Hipps receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Hipps received a total of $2,659 from 23 companies across 98 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. Hipps's costs compare to other ophthalmologists in Houston?
Dr. Hipps's average Medicare payment per service is $73. 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. Hipps) 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 →