Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Christopher Burling, MD

Family Medicine · Mt Pleasant, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
618 N JEFFERSON AVE, Mt Pleasant, TX 75455
9035759500
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1295732832 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. Burling 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Burling

Dr. Christopher Burling is a family medicine specialist in Mt Pleasant, TX, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Burling performed 2,990 Medicare services across 1,556 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Burling received a total of $44 from 3 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 3 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. Burling 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 8% volume in TX $44 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,990
Medicare services
Top 8% in TX for family medicine
1,556
Unique beneficiaries
$28
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~150 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
Blood draw (venipuncture) 563 $8 $17
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 495 $76 $121
Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides) 385 $13 $70
Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) 304 $9 $41
Dexamethasone injection (steroid) 296 $0 $10
Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for influenza virus 160 $16 $70
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 147 $57 $87
Complete blood count (CBC) with differential 140 $7 $37
Influenza vaccine, quadrivalent derived from cell cultures 91 $31 $40
Flu vaccine administration 91 $25 $26
Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (covid-19) 79 $40 $150
Physician or allowed practitioner re-certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians a 58 $31 $62
Automated urinalysis 57 $2 $20
Physician or allowed practitioner supervision of a patient receiving medicare-covered services provided by a participating home health agency (patient not present) requiring complex and multidisciplinary care modalities involving regular physician or allow 45 $78 $122
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) 40 $36 $67
Transitional care management services for problem of at least moderate complexity 39 $141 $180
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.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2022 ↗
$44
Total received (2018-2022)
Avg $15/year across 3 years
Bottom 13% in TX for family medicine
3
Companies
3
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
$44 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2022
$13
2019
$14
2018
$17

Payments by company (2022)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$17
Allergan Inc.
$14
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$13
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
APTIOM · BOTOX COSMETIC · XIFAXAN
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 $1 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a family medicine specialist in Mt Pleasant?
Compare family medicine physicians in the Mt Pleasant area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Family medicine physicians within 10 mi
20
Per 100K population
63.9
County median income
$59,220
Nearest hospital
TITUS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
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 2022
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. Burling is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 8% 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. Burling experienced with blood draw (venipuncture)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Burling performed 563 blood draw (venipuncture) 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. Burling receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Burling received a total of $44 from 3 companies across 3 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. Burling's costs compare to other family medicine physicians in Mt Pleasant?
Dr. Burling'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. Burling) 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 →