https://doctransparency.com/doctor/tx/nacogdoches/aaron-heller-1366860991
Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Aaron Heller, D.O.

Anesthesiology · Nacogdoches, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
3226 N UNIVERSITY DR STE 300, Nacogdoches, TX 75965
9362348488
In practice since 2014 (12 years)
NPI: 1366860991 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. Heller 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. Heller? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Heller

Dr. Aaron Heller is an anesthesiology in Nacogdoches, TX, with 12 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Heller performed 6,878 Medicare services across 2,071 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Heller received a total of $10,775 from 19 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 179 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in anesthesiology. 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. Heller 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▲ Top 1% volume in TX$ $10,775 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
6,878
Medicare services
Top 1% in TX for anesthesiology
2,071
Unique beneficiaries
$55
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~573 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
Dexamethasone injection (steroid)3,418$0$1
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)1,152$87$262
Drug screening test489$60$300
New patient office visit (45-59 min)248$117$374
Drug test(s), definitive, utilizing (1) drug identification methods able to identify individual drugs and distinguish between structural isomers (but not necessarily stereoisomers), including, but not limited to gc/ms (any type, single or tandem) and lc/ms229$192$750
Injection, midazolam hydrochloride, per 1 mg152$0$5
Injection, fentanyl citrate, 0.1 mg133$1$20
Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure (5 years or older), initial 15 minutes117$37$150
Injection of anesthetic and/or steroid drug into sacral spine nerve root using imaging guidance, single level111$208$1,211
Use of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by physician performing a procedure, each additional 15 minutes111$8$30
Injection of substance into lower spine canal using imaging guidance78$195$705
Injection of lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance, single level73$179$1,396
Injection of lower or sacral spine facet joint using imaging guidance, second level71$98$541
Steroid injection (triamcinolone)69$1$24
Injection of anesthetic and/or steroid drug into sacral spine nerve root using imaging guidance, each additional level68$98$458
Destruction of lower or sacral spinal facet joint nerves using imaging guidance, single facet joint55$331$1,222
Destruction of lower or sacral spinal facet joint nerves using imaging guidance, each additional facet joint55$186$510
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)40$56$128
Injection of anesthetic or steroid into joint between lower spine and hip bone using imaging guidance36$134$903
Injection of substance into middle or upper spine canal using imaging guidance33$181$720
Joint injection, major joint30$47$250
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg30$6$15
Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement21$87$200
Injection of upper or middle spine facet joint using imaging guidance, single level17$193$1,562
Injection of upper or middle spine facet joint using imaging guidance, second level16$106$645
Treatment of broken lower spine bone with placement of stabilizing device13$4,368$19,500
Office visit, established patient (10-19 min)13$40$90
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 2024 ↗
$10,775
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,539/year across 7 years
Top 4% in TX for anesthesiology
19
Companies
179
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
$9,693 (90.0%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$1,000 (9.3%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$82 (0.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$798
2023
$1,408
2022
$989
2021
$727
2020
$2,988
2019
$1,771
2018
$2,095

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Nevro Corp.
$2,970
Boston Scientific Corporation
$2,828
Abbott Laboratories
$2,194
Stryker Corporation
$1,194
Vertos Medical, Inc.
$532
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$250
Stimwave Technologies Incorporated
$139
IMPEL PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$115
Spinal Simplicity, LLC
$109
Allergan, Inc.
$99
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$83
Medtronic, Inc.
$81
Allergan Inc.
$43
ABBVIE INC.
$42
AbbVie Inc.
$24
SPR Therapeutics, Inc
$22
PFIZER INC.
$17
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$17
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$15
Top 3 companies account for 74.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AVAFLEX · ArmonAir Digihaler · BOTOX · ETERNA · GENERAL - PAIN MANAGEMENT · GENERAL - THERAPIES · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · HA MINUTEMAN G3-R · INTELLIS · IONICRF · IVAS · IVS - VERTEBRAL AUGMENTATION PRODUCTS · KYPHON Balloon Kyphoplasty · KYPHON EXPRESS II KYPHOPAK TRAY · Kyleena · MILD DEVICE KIT · MULTIGEN 2 · Neuromodulation Disposables and Accessories · Neuromodulation Dspsbls and Accs · OSTEOCOOL RF ABLATION SYSTEM · Omnia · PROCLAIM · Penta SCS Leads · Proclaim Family of SCS IPGs · Proclaim IPG · Prodigy Family of SCS IPGs · Protege Family of SCS IPGs · QULIPTA · RESTORE · SPECTRA WAVEWRITER · SPRINT PNS System · SUPERION · SYNCHROMED · Senza · Senza Spinal Cord Stimulation System · Superion · Superion Indirect Decompression System · Trudhesa · UBRELVY · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN FLX · WaveWriter Alpha Prime 16 · mild Device Kit
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 (90%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians. Total industry engagement is in the top 4% for anesthesiology in TX.

Equivalent to $157 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a anesthesiology in Nacogdoches?
Compare anesthesiologys in the Nacogdoches area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse anesthesiologys nearby

Geographic Context

Anesthesiologys within 10 mi
2
Per 100K population
3.1
County median income
$51,528
Nearest hospital
NACOGDOCHES MEDICAL CENTER
0.0 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. Heller is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 1% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 4%).

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. Heller experienced with dexamethasone injection (steroid)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Heller performed 3,418 dexamethasone injection (steroid) 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. Heller receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Heller received a total of $10,775 from 19 companies across 179 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. Heller's costs compare to other anesthesiologys in Nacogdoches?
Dr. Heller's average Medicare payment per service is $55. 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. Heller) 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 →