Dr. Curtis Carothers, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Carothers
Dr. Curtis Carothers is a cardiovascular disease in Lubbock, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Carothers performed 3,500 Medicare services across 2,327 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Carothers received a total of $722 from 13 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 44 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. 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. Carothers 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) | 769 | $82 | $172 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead | 500 | $10 | $80 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity | 402 | $60 | $115 |
| Prothrombin time test (blood clotting) | 292 | $4 | $17 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test | 160 | $40 | $150 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic | 159 | $126 | $796 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity | 106 | $34 | $70 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity | 98 | $100 | $405 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) | 87 | $8 | $18 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 54 | $57 | $112 |
| Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides) | 51 | $13 | $93 |
| Complete blood count (CBC) with differential | 49 | $8 | $32 |
| Ultrasound of heart, follow-up | 47 | $17 | $93 |
| Ultrasound of both sides of head and neck blood flow | 42 | $131 | $580 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 42 | $110 | $285 |
| Nuclear medicine studies of heart muscle at rest and with stress and spect | 40 | $324 | $1,139 |
| Basic metabolic blood panel | 40 | $8 | $36 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with supervision and review by physician | 40 | $47 | $405 |
| Technetium tc-99m sestamibi, diagnostic, per study dose | 38 | $316 | $408 |
| Natriuretic peptide (heart and blood vessel protein) level | 35 | $38 | $142 |
| Comprehensive metabolic blood panel | 32 | $10 | $45 |
| Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 minutes | 32 | $9 | $42 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) | 32 | $110 | $250 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity | 32 | $133 | $600 |
| Ultrasound of heart with probe in esophagus, with report | 31 | $81 | $346 |
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test | 30 | $16 | $71 |
| Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) | 27 | $10 | $40 |
| Heart rhythm review and interpretation of continous external ekg over 8-15 days | 27 | $14 | $90 |
| Heart rhythm recording of continous external ekg over 8-15 days | 26 | $8 | $50 |
| Ultrasound study of one arm or leg veins with compression and maneuvers | 25 | $69 | $412 |
| Ct scan of blood vessels and grafts of heart with contrast | 22 | $84 | $350 |
| Ct scan of heart with evaluation of blood vessel calcium | 18 | $20 | $115 |
| Electrocardiogram (ecg) 2-day continuous with review and report by health care professional | 17 | $46 | $492 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity | 17 | $87 | $164 |
| Ultrasound study of arm or leg veins with compression and maneuvers | 16 | $141 | $672 |
| Ultrasound of leg arteries or artery grafts | 14 | $174 | $655 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) | 14 | $65 | $202 |
| Ultrasound of one leg arteries or artery grafts | 13 | $16 | $152 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with supervision by physician | 12 | $15 | $71 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with electrocardiogram (ecg) with review by physician | 12 | $10 | $123 |
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 (81%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
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. Carothers is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 29% in TX), and low-engagement industry engagement, 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
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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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