Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Joaquin Cigarroa, MD

Internal Medicine · Laredo, TX
Practice pattern: Cardiac Imaging — Practice with significant diagnostic imaging and stress testing
Low-engagement
1710 E SAUNDERS ST STE 500, Laredo, TX 78041
9567251228
In practice since 2013 (12 years)
NPI: 1669818860 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. Cigarroa 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. Cigarroa

Dr. Joaquin Cigarroa is an internal medicine specialist in Laredo, TX, with 12 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cigarroa performed 312 Medicare services across 277 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cigarroa received a total of $5,943 from 20 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 131 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in internal 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. Cigarroa 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.

✓ 12 years in practice ▲ 312 Medicare services $5,943 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
312
Medicare services
Bottom 28% in TX for internal medicine
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
277
Unique beneficiaries
$65
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~26 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
Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 minutes 36 $10 $39
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity 34 $62 $141
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead 29 $11 $60
Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with supervision by physician 28 $16 $70
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity 23 $94 $202
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 20 $102 $206
Initial hospital admission, high complexity 18 $136 $393
Ultrasound of heart with color-depicted blood flow, rate and valve function 16 $2 $12
Prothrombin time test (blood clotting) 15 $4 $17
Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with review by physician 15 $11 $47
Anticoagulant management of patient taking warfarin 14 $9 $38
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 14 $171 $398
Ultrasound of heart with probe in esophagus, with report 13 $83 $334
Insertion of tube in right and left heart chambers and coronary artery for diagnosis with review by radiologist 13 $271 $1,232
Echocardiogram, transthoracic 12 $54 $205
Cardiac catheterization 12 $195 $983
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.
12.8% high complexity
17.9% medium
69.2% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$5,943
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $849/year across 7 years
Top 14% in TX for internal medicine
20
Companies
131
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
$5,943 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$2,294
2023
$534
2022
$2,001
2021
$470
2020
$219
2019
$212
2018
$214

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boston Scientific Corporation
$1,787
Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
$1,039
Abbott Laboratories
$920
Amgen Inc.
$520
Medtronic, Inc.
$365
ABIOMED
$270
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$216
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$173
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$163
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$116
BIOTRONIK INC.
$114
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$98
United Therapeutics Corporation
$48
GE HEALTHCARE
$21
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$20
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$17
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$15
Cook Medical LLC
$14
Acist Medical Systems, Inc.
$13
LivaNova USA, Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 63.0% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ATTAIN COMMAND + SUREVALVE · ATTESTA SR MRI SURESCAN · Azure · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CLARIA MRI QUAD CRT-D SURESCAN · CVI Systems · DIAMONDBACK CORONARY · DRAGONFLY OPSTAR · Dragonfly OCT · ELUVIA · ENTRESTO · FUROSCIX · GENERAL THERAPIES · General - Angioplasty · General - Therapies · HawkOne · Hi-Torque Balance Guide Wires · Hi-Torque Versacore guide wires · Impella · JETSTREAM · JETSTREAM SC · LEQVIO · LINQ II · LifeVest · MINI TREK · Micra · NC TREK coronary catheters · NHancer Rx · OPTIS · ORENITRAM · Optis Coronary Imaging System · PEEL-AWAY · PRESSUREWIRE · Peripheral RotaLink Plus · PressureWire FFR · ROTALINK · Repatha · Resolute · SHOCKWAVE IVL SYSTEM WITH THE SHOCKWAVE C2 CORONARY IVL CATHETER · SYNERGY · Shockwave IVL System with the Shockwave C2 Coronary IVL Catheter · TandemLife · Venclose Maven Catheter · XARELTO · XIENCE ALPINE · XIENCE SIERRA · XIENCE SKYPOINT · Xience Sierra Coronary Stent · Xience Sierra Coronary Stent System · Xience V coronary stent system
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 $1,905 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for an internal medicine specialist in Laredo?
Compare internal medicine physicians in the Laredo area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Internal medicine physicians within 10 mi
31
Per 100K population
11.6
County median income
$62,506
Nearest hospital
DOCTORS HOSPITAL OF LAREDO
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. Cigarroa is a cardiac imaging specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 14% of TX peers.

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. Cigarroa experienced with use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 minutes?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Cigarroa performed 36 use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 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. Cigarroa receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Cigarroa received a total of $5,943 from 20 companies across 131 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. Cigarroa's costs compare to other internal medicine physicians in Laredo?
Dr. Cigarroa's average Medicare payment per service is $65. 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. Cigarroa) 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 →