Dr. Melchor Cardenas, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Cardenas
Dr. Melchor Cardenas is a family medicine in Laredo, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cardenas performed 1,359 Medicare services across 913 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cardenas received a total of $4,837 from 31 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 174 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in family 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. Cardenas 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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) | 428 | $82 | $259 |
| Blood glucose (sugar) test performed by hand-held instrument | 219 | $3 | $11 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 107 | $56 | $184 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up | 91 | $124 | $270 |
| Nursing facility visit, moderate complexity | 75 | $76 | $227 |
| Chronic care management, first 20 min/month | 64 | $45 | $133 |
| Advance care planning consultation, first 30 min | 57 | $75 | $171 |
| Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) | 56 | $10 | $36 |
| Flu vaccine administration | 53 | $30 | $50 |
| Annual alcohol misuse screening, 5 to 15 minutes | 52 | $18 | $39 |
| Annual depression screening | 37 | $18 | $40 |
| Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for streptococcus, group a (strep) | 33 | $16 | $41 |
| Influenza vaccine, quadrivalent derived from cell cultures, preservative and antibiotic free | 33 | $33 | $75 |
| Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for influenza virus | 23 | $16 | $43 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) | 17 | $40 | $238 |
| Influenza vaccine, quadrivalent, preservative free, 0.5 ml dosage | 14 | $22 | $40 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (96%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
4.0 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. Cardenas is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 21% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 13%), with 20 years of practice experience.
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. Cardenas experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Does Dr. Cardenas receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Cardenas's costs compare to other family medicines in Laredo?
What does Data Coverage mean?
Is this data up to date?
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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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