Dr. Richard Steel, M.D.
What this data tells you about Dr. Steel
Dr. Richard Steel is an internal medicine specialist in Mcallen, TX, with 18 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Steel performed 2,792 Medicare services across 1,315 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Steel received a total of $7,166 from 28 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 412 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. Steel 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) | 1,069 | $88 | $382 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) | 320 | $8 | $10 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 199 | $58 | $288 |
| Testing of autonomic (sympathetic) nervous system function | 86 | $94 | $300 |
| Testing of autonomic (sympathetic and parasympathetic) nervous system function, at least 5 minutes of tilt | 85 | $99 | $217 |
| Injection, ketorolac tromethamine, per 15 mg | 84 | $0 | $7 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle | 81 | $10 | $39 |
| Annual, face-to-face intensive behavioral therapy for cardiovascular disease, individual, 15 minutes | 77 | $25 | $37 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up | 73 | $124 | $200 |
| Annual depression screening | 65 | $18 | $37 |
| Annual alcohol misuse screening, 5 to 15 minutes | 62 | $18 | $37 |
| Complete ultrasound study of arm and leg arteries | 56 | $77 | $197 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic | 50 | $127 | $446 |
| Ultrasound of leg arteries or artery grafts | 49 | $179 | $393 |
| Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg | 48 | $6 | $30 |
| Ultrasound of both sides of head and neck blood flow | 45 | $117 | $348 |
| Ultrasound study of arm or leg veins with compression and maneuvers | 44 | $114 | $357 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) | 33 | $126 | $458 |
| Automated urinalysis | 28 | $2 | $15 |
| Urine microalbumin (protein) analysis | 27 | $6 | $15 |
| Creatinine test (kidney function) | 27 | $5 | $15 |
| Advance care planning consultation, first 30 min | 27 | $58 | $97 |
| Advance care planning, each additional 30 minutes | 27 | $54 | $87 |
| Evaluation and testing for balance with recording | 25 | $84 | $187 |
| Test for abnormal eye movement using a rotating chair | 25 | $93 | $187 |
| Use of electrodes during balance testing | 25 | $8 | $17 |
| Neuromuscular re-education therapy, per 15 min | 25 | $26 | $50 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead | 17 | $10 | $47 |
| Retinal photography (fundus photo) | 13 | $19 | $97 |
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 (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
3.4 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. Steel is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 13% in TX), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 12% of TX peers, with 18 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
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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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