Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Robert Salazar, M.D.
Cardiovascular Disease · Kingwood, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
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. Salazar 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. Salazar
Dr. Robert Salazar is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Kingwood, TX, with 15 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Salazar performed 7,119 Medicare services across 2,963 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Salazar received a total of $415,107 from 51 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 832 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Salazar 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.
✓ 15 years in practice
▲ Top 8% volume in TX
$415,107 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗7,119
Medicare services
Top 8% in TX for cardiovascular disease
2,963
Unique beneficiaries
$133
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~475 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote vital sign monitoring management, each additional 20 minutes This code covers the time spent by a provider managing patient data from remote vital sign monitoring devices. It applies to each additional 20-minute increment beyond the initial monthly service period. |
1,095 | $31 | $126 |
| Remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month Management based on results from remote vital sign monitoring for the first 20 minutes per calendar month. |
679 | $38 | $155 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test An injection of regadenoson, a medication used to stress the heart during diagnostic testing. |
604 | $31 | $190 |
| Chronic care management, additional 20 min/month This service covers an extra 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional for managing two or more chronic conditions each calendar month. |
598 | $38 | $150 |
| Remote patient monitoring device, 30 days Initial setup of devices for remote monitoring of body functions with daily data transmission or alerts. This service covers the first 30 days of the monitoring period. |
536 | $39 | $172 |
| Chronic care management, first 20 min/month This service covers the first 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional each calendar month to manage chronic conditions. |
326 | $50 | $198 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
302 | $11 | $60 |
| 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. |
292 | $98 | $400 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter. |
245 | $124 | $564 |
| Ultrasound of arm or leg veins An ultrasound exam of the veins in the arm or leg. The test uses sound waves to check blood flow and may include compression and other maneuvers. |
188 | $129 | $650 |
| Remote monitoring of implantable heart rhythm device Evaluation of data transmitted remotely from an implantable cardiovascular monitor, such as a loop recorder or subcutaneous cardiac rhythm monitor, over a period up to 30 days. |
178 | $28 | $855 |
| Remote cardiac rhythm monitor evaluation, up to 30 days Review and analysis of data from a remote cardiac rhythm monitoring system over a period of up to 30 days. |
158 | $20 | $82 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review. |
156 | $53 | $400 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
156 | $136 | $850 |
| Rubidium rb-82, diagnostic, per study dose, up to 60 millicuries | 150 | $655 | $838 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
146 | $123 | $800 |
| Nuclear stress test with CT scan A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow in the heart muscle at rest and during stress, performed alongside a concurrent CT scan. |
145 | $1,933 | $5,742 |
| PET scan of heart muscle blood flow A nuclear medicine imaging test that uses positron emission tomography (PET) to evaluate blood flow within the heart muscle. |
145 | $146 | $433 |
| EKG interpretation and report A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report. |
145 | $6 | $35 |
| Ultrasound of leg arteries or grafts An imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the blood vessels in the legs or any surgical grafts present. |
138 | $171 | $820 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
136 | $95 | $315 |
| 30-day continuous ECG with patient-triggered event transmission and review This procedure involves continuous electrocardiogram monitoring for up to 30 days, including the transmission of patient-triggered events. A healthcare professional reviews the data and provides a report. |
107 | $674 | $2,814 |
| Continuous ECG monitoring, up to 30 days Continuous heart rhythm monitoring for up to 30 days, including professional review and reporting of the results. |
106 | $20 | $80 |
| Chemical destruction of first incompetent vein with imaging guidance This procedure uses imaging guidance to chemically destroy the first incompetent vein in the arm or leg. |
80 | $1,380 | $5,668 |
| Remote physiologic monitoring setup and education Initial setup of remote monitoring equipment and patient education on its use. |
73 | $14 | $59 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 55 | $142 | $690 |
| Remote pacemaker/defibrillator monitoring, 90 days Remote evaluation of a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator system within 90 days of the last check. |
42 | $17 | $74 |
| Telephone medical discussion, 5-10 minutes A phone conversation with a physician lasting between 5 and 10 minutes to discuss medical matters. |
36 | $39 | $175 |
| Ultrasound-guided injection into a single leg vein A chemical agent is injected into one incompetent vein in the leg while using ultrasound to guide the needle placement. |
24 | $1,090 | $4,524 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
20 | $137 | $610 |
| Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older. |
15 | $9 | $161 |
| 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. |
15 | $55 | $284 |
| Ultrasound of arm and leg arteries This procedure uses sound waves to create images of the blood vessels in the arms and legs. It allows healthcare providers to examine the structure and blood flow within these arteries. |
14 | $61 | $262 |
| Ultrasound of arm or leg veins An ultrasound exam of the veins in one arm or leg using compression and other maneuvers to assess blood flow and check for blockages. |
14 | $94 | $600 |
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.
2.8% high complexity
21.2% medium
76.0% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$415,107
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $59,301/year across 7 years
Top 1% in TX for cardiovascular disease
51
Companies
832
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.
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$385,509 (92.9%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$29,598 (7.1%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$77,310
2023
$74,706
2022
$142,468
2021
$62,411
2020
$27,974
2019
$24,321
2018
$5,916
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
ABIOMED
$228,722
Penumbra, Inc.
$125,589
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$39,818
Abbott Laboratories
$4,505
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$2,480
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,984
Boston Scientific Corporation
$1,944
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$1,335
BIOTRONIK INC.
$1,269
Inari Medical, Inc.
$1,056
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$953
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$688
AngioDynamics, Inc.
$563
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$547
ZOLL Circulation Inc
$515
Amgen Inc.
$279
Novo Nordisk Inc
$270
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$240
BARD PERIPHERAL VASCULAR, INC.
$196
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$167
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$149
EKOS Corporation
$148
Itamar Medical Inc
$148
Recor Medical Inc
$148
Veryan Medical Incorporated
$144
Teleflex LLC
$134
ASAHI INTECC USA, INC.
$119
Kestra Medical Technology Services, Inc.
$102
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$87
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$80
Shockwave Medical, Inc
$72
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$72
PFIZER INC.
$63
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$55
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$54
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$53
Chiesi USA, Inc.
$45
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$41
Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
$35
Cook Medical LLC
$35
Coala Life Inc
$33
United Therapeutics Corporation
$29
Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.
$26
Bolton Medical Inc
$24
Biocompatibles, Inc.
$20
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$17
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$15
Avinger Inc.
$14
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$11
Contego Medical, Inc
$9
CashFlow Solutions, LLC
$6
Top 3 companies account for 94.9% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AMPLATZER Occluders · ASAHI PTCA Guide Wire · AURYON LASER SYSTEM 100-120 VAC · AVEIR · AVVIGO Guidance System · Accent Pacemaker · Assure WCD · Assurity Pacemaker · Astron; Pulsar; AstronPulsar · BRILINTA · BioMimics 3D Vascular Stent System · BodyGuardian · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CHANTIX · CONFIRM RX · COOK CELECT · CROSSBOSS · CT THROMBECTOMY SYSTEM KIT · CardioMEMS HF System · Coala Heart Monitor · Confirm Rx · EKOSONIC · ELIQUIS · ELUVIA · ENTRESTO · Edarbi · Edora · Evera · FARXIGA · FLEXITOUCH · FLOWTRIEVER CATHETER · Flexitouch Plus · FlowTriever · GALLANT · GENERAL THROMBECTOMY · GENERAL ATHERECTOMY · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL ULTRASOUND · GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION · GENERAL - ATHERECTOMY · GENERAL - VASCULAR INTERVENTION · GENERAL THERAPIES · GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION · General - Angioplasty · HAWKONE · IGT D Peripheral · IGT_D Peripheral · INJECTAFER · INSPIRE · Impella · Indigo · Indigo System · Inpefa · JARDIANCE · JETSTREAM · KENGREAL · LEQVIO · LUTONIX · LYMPHA PRESS OPTIMAL PLUS(US) BT · LifeVest · MICRA · MITRACLIP · Merlin Connectivity and Remote · MitraClip System · NEXLETOL · OFEV · ONYX FRONTIER · OPTIMIZER · Optimizer · Orsiro Mission · Ozempic · PANTHERIS · PARADISE RENAL DENERVATION SYSTEM · Penumbra System · QUADRA ASSURA · QUARTET · Quadra Assura CRT Defibrillator · Quartet CRT Lead · RESOLUTE ONYX · REVEAL LINQ · RUBY Coil · Repatha · Resolute · Reveal LINQ · Rotarex · Rybelsus · S · SYNERGY · Sunosi · THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · TORCON NB · TREO ABDOMINAL STENT-GRAFT SYSTEM · TURNPIKE · TYVASO · Temperature Management System · TherOx DS2 Console · Trilogy 100 · ULTRASCORE · VARITHENA · VENOVO · VERQUVO · Varithena Administration Pack · Vascular Lithotripsy · VenaSeal · Visia AF · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN Access System · WATCHMAN FLX · WatchPATONE · XARELTO · ZIO Patch · Zero Gravity
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 (93%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in cardiovascular disease and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 1% for cardiovascular disease in TX.
Equivalent to $5,831 per 100 Medicare services performed
Geographic Context
Cardiologists within 10 mi
154
Per 100K population
3.2
County median income
$73,104
Nearest hospital
KINGWOOD PINES HOSPITAL
0.0 mi
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. Salazar is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 8% in TX), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 1% of TX peers, with 15 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. Salazar experienced with remote vital sign monitoring management, each additional 20 minutes?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Salazar performed 1,095 remote vital sign monitoring management, each additional 20 minutes 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. Salazar receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Salazar received a total of $415,107 from 51 companies across 832 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. Salazar's costs compare to other cardiologists in Kingwood?
Dr. Salazar's average Medicare payment per service is $133. 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. Salazar) 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 →
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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.
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