Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Rachel Gelman, M.D.

Ophthalmology · McAllen, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Consulting-driven
5201 N G ST, McAllen, TX 78504
9563055795
In practice since 2013 (12 years)
NPI: 1083052658 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. Gelman 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. Gelman? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Gelman

Dr. Rachel Gelman is an ophthalmology in McAllen, TX, with 12 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Gelman performed 641 Medicare services across 375 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Gelman received a total of $53,715 from 20 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 142 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in ophthalmology. The majority of payments are for consulting, which typically reflects recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Gelman 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▲ 641 Medicare services$ $53,715 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
641
Medicare services
Bottom 22% in TX for ophthalmology
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
375
Unique beneficiaries
$130
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~53 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.

ProcedureVolumeAvg. paidAvg. submitted
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)367$92$177
Corneal topography and eye depth measurement74$35$75
Cataract surgery with lens implant54$411$739
New patient office visit (45-59 min)31$112$229
Ct scan of cornea28$26$50
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)20$55$125
Ultrasound scan of cornea to determine thickness19$8$75
Placement of amniotic membrane on eye surface for wound healing18$981$1,850
New patient office visit (30-44 min)18$76$219
Imaging of front third of eye using a special microscope12$30$54
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.
8.4% high complexity
9.2% medium
82.4% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$53,715
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $7,674/year across 7 years
Top 5% in TX for ophthalmology
20
Companies
142
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.

Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$46,787 (87.1%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$6,928 (12.9%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$2,801
2023
$20,984
2022
$27,761
2021
$1,671
2020
$172
2019
$220
2018
$105

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
BioTissue Holdings, Inc.
$26,372
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS, INC.
$20,414
TISSUETECH, INC.
$1,566
Bausch & Lomb Americas Inc.
$1,467
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS INC.
$1,093
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc.
$984
Alcon Vision LLC
$689
RxSight Inc
$304
LENSAR, Inc.
$191
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$139
Alcon Laboratories Inc
$105
Bausch & Lomb, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$80
ABBVIE INC.
$65
Glaukos Corporation
$52
Dompe US, Inc.
$44
TissueTech, Inc.
$37
Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.
$36
Eyevance Pharmaceuticals LLC
$28
Allergan, Inc.
$27
TearLab Corp
$22
Top 3 companies account for 90.0% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AcrySof IQ PanOptix UV IOL · CATALYS SYSTEM · Centurion · CyPass · DAILIES · DURYSTA · Flarex · KXL system (not refurbished) · LENSAR LASER SYSTEM · LIGHT ADJUSTABLE LENS (LAL) AND LIGHT DELIVERY DEVICE (LDD) · LOTEMAX SM · MIEBO · OXERVATE · One Series Ultra · PROKERA · PROLENSA · Prokera · RESTASIS MULTIDOSE · RXSIGHT CONTACT LENS · RXSIGHT LIGHT DELIVERY DEVICE (LDD) · TEARLAB OSMOLARITY SYSTEM · VERITAS Vision System · VYZULTA · Wavelight · Wavelight Refractive Suite · XIIDRA · enVista Aspire IOL · enVista MX60 IOL
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 (87%) are consulting fees, which typically reflect recognized clinical expertise sought by manufacturers. Total industry engagement is in the top 5% for ophthalmology in TX.

Equivalent to $8,380 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a ophthalmology in McAllen?
Compare ophthalmologys in the McAllen area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse ophthalmologys nearby

Geographic Context

Ophthalmologys within 10 mi
32
Per 100K population
3.6
County median income
$52,281
Nearest hospital
SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH SYSTEM
3.4 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry NPPESWeekly updates
Medicare Enrollment PECOSMonthly updates
Practice Data Medicare Util.Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments Open PaymentsCY 2024
Disciplinary History— Not publicN/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. Gelman is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, and high industry engagement (consulting-driven, top 5%).

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. Gelman experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Gelman performed 367 office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 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. Gelman receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Gelman received a total of $53,715 from 20 companies across 142 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. Gelman's costs compare to other ophthalmologys in McAllen?
Dr. Gelman's average Medicare payment per service is $130. 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. Gelman) 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 →