Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Venkata Kovvali, M.D.
Interventional Cardiology · Lufkin, TX
Practice pattern: Electrophysiology & Device
— Practice focused on heart rhythm disorders and cardiac device management
Low-engagement
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. Kovvali 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. Kovvali?
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What this data tells you about Dr. Kovvali
Dr. Venkata Kovvali is an interventional cardiology specialist in Lufkin, TX, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Kovvali performed 3,558 Medicare services across 2,202 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Kovvali received a total of $2,797 from 24 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 79 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in interventional cardiology. 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. Kovvali 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.
✓ 20 years in practice
▲ Top 28% volume in TX
$2,797 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗3,558
Medicare services
Top 28% in TX for interventional cardiology
2,202
Unique beneficiaries
$28
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~178 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
1,348 | $6 | $21 |
| 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. |
564 | $10 | $41 |
| 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. |
306 | $59 | $181 |
| 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. |
304 | $90 | $264 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) Insertion of a needle into a vein to collect a blood sample. |
101 | $7 | $8 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service. |
101 | $62 | $178 |
| Remote pacemaker monitoring, 90 days Remote assessment of a pacemaker system, including single, dual, multiple lead, or leadless devices, performed up to 90 days apart. |
91 | $21 | $77 |
| Remote pacemaker/defibrillator monitoring, 90 days Remote evaluation of a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator system within 90 days of the last check. |
90 | $16 | $60 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
82 | $51 | $500 |
| Pacemaker programming, dual lead system Adjustment and configuration of a dual-lead pacemaker device to ensure proper operation and settings. |
80 | $58 | $174 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while an electrocardiogram is monitored under physician supervision. |
63 | $15 | $55 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram, with physician review of the results. |
63 | $10 | $37 |
| Continuous external EKG monitoring, 48 hours to 7 days This procedure involves recording the heart's electrical activity continuously using an external device for a period exceeding 48 hours but not more than 7 days. |
37 | $7 | $36 |
| Continuous EKG monitoring review, 48-7 days Review and interpretation of continuous external EKG recordings lasting more than 48 hours up to 7 days. |
37 | $18 | $37 |
| Continuous EKG monitoring, 48-7 days Analysis and reporting of continuous external electrocardiogram monitoring lasting more than 48 hours up to 7 days. |
36 | $111 | $144 |
| Basic blood chemical test (calcium, ionized) A blood test that measures basic chemical levels, specifically including calcium and ionized calcium. |
35 | $13 | $34 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter. |
35 | $119 | $399 |
| 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. |
31 | $135 | $496 |
| Magnesium level test A blood test to measure the amount of magnesium in your body. This helps check for magnesium deficiency or excess. |
29 | $7 | $17 |
| Complete blood count (CBC) with differential An automated laboratory test that measures the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the blood, including a breakdown of the different types of white blood cells. |
24 | $8 | $19 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle while at rest and during stress. |
23 | $63 | $3,275 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and during stress using a special camera. |
20 | $50 | $1,137 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range. |
16 | $81 | $260 |
| Natriuretic peptide level test A blood test that measures the level of natriuretic peptide, a protein produced by the heart and blood vessels. |
15 | $38 | $98 |
| Comprehensive metabolic blood panel A blood test that measures a group of chemicals, including glucose, electrolytes, and kidney and liver function markers. |
14 | $10 | $26 |
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test A blood test that measures the level of thyroid stimulating hormone to evaluate thyroid function. |
13 | $16 | $42 |
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.
9.6% high complexity
4.7% medium
85.6% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$2,797
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $400/year across 7 years
Bottom 20% in TX for interventional cardiology
24
Companies
79
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
$2,797 (100.0%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$312
2023
$191
2022
$243
2021
$81
2020
$154
2019
$276
2018
$1,540
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$844
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$278
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$227
ABIOMED
$181
Abbott Laboratories
$180
Amgen Inc.
$93
Boston Scientific Corporation
$89
PFIZER INC.
$89
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$88
Terumo Medical Corporation
$86
Tosoh Bioscience, Inc.
$83
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$73
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$69
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$69
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$53
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$51
Medtronic, Inc.
$47
BARD PERIPHERAL VASCULAR, INC.
$45
Novo Nordisk Inc
$41
Cardinal Health 200 LLC
$32
Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.
$27
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$19
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$16
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$15
Top 3 companies account for 48.3% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCOLADE · CAMZYOS · CARDIOMEMS · CHANTIX · CROSSER · CardioMEMS HF System · ClosureFast · CoreValve Evolut · DYNAGEN · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · FARXIGA · GENERAL TACHY · Impella · JARDIANCE · LEQVIO · LUTONIX · LifeVest · METACROSS OTW · MITRACLIP · NC TREK coronary catheters · OUTBACK LTD Re-Entry Catheter · PRADAXA · QUARTET · ROTABLATOR · Repatha · Resolute · Rybelsus · SENSOR ENABLED · SQRX PULSE GENERATOR · ST AIA-PACK TSH BTO KIT · TACTICATH ABLATION CATHETER · TEGSEDI · VERQUVO · Vascepa · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN Access System · XARELTO
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 $79 per 100 Medicare services performed
Geographic Context
Interventional cardiologists within 10 mi
4
Per 100K population
4.6
County median income
$58,847
Nearest hospital
WOODLAND HEIGHTS MEDICAL CENTER
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. Kovvali is an electrophysiology & device specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 28% in TX), with low-engagement industry engagement, with 20 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. Kovvali experienced with ekg interpretation and report?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Kovvali performed 1,348 ekg interpretation and report 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. Kovvali receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Kovvali received a total of $2,797 from 24 companies across 79 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. Kovvali's costs compare to other interventional cardiologists in Lufkin?
Dr. Kovvali's average Medicare payment per service is $28. 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. Kovvali) 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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