Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Christopher Bell, D.O.

Family Medicine · Nederland, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
520 S TWIN CITY HWY, Nederland, TX 77627
4097292266
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1467450908 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. Bell 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. Bell? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Bell

Dr. Christopher Bell is a family medicine in Nederland, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Bell performed 2,578 Medicare services across 626 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Bell received a total of $11,773 from 52 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 763 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. Bell 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 10% volume in TX$ $11,773 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,578
Medicare services
Top 10% in TX for family medicine
626
Unique beneficiaries
$15
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~129 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)1,167$0$2
Injection, ketorolac tromethamine, per 15 mg316$0$7
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)306$77$315
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle281$10$59
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 80 mg112$9$54
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)103$52$213
Ceftriaxone antibiotic injection87$0$7
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg58$4$6
Blood glucose (sugar) test performed by hand-held instrument54$3$10
Flu vaccine administration24$29$45
Flu vaccine, quadrivalent21$75$183
Annual wellness visit, follow-up20$116$359
Automated urinalysis18$2$8
Annual depression screening11$17$53
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 ↗
$11,773
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,682/year across 7 years
Top 4% in TX for family medicine
52
Companies
763
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
$11,698 (99.4%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$75 (0.6%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,088
2023
$1,870
2022
$2,113
2021
$1,885
2020
$1,732
2019
$1,440
2018
$1,646

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Novo Nordisk Inc
$1,648
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$1,621
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$1,048
PFIZER INC.
$919
AbbVie Inc.
$880
ABBVIE INC.
$860
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$637
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$532
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$460
Lilly USA, LLC
$353
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$262
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$174
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$174
Allergan, Inc.
$165
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$157
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$152
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$146
Neos Therapeutics, LP
$126
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$122
Shire North American Group Inc
$120
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$109
Corium, LLC
$97
Genentech USA, Inc.
$87
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$75
Ironshore Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$73
Eisai Inc.
$49
Amgen Inc.
$49
Lupin Inc.
$47
Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$47
Corcept Therapeutics
$45
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$40
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$39
Abbott Laboratories
$39
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$34
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$33
Acacia Pharma Inc
$31
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$29
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$28
Nabriva Therapeutics, plc
$28
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$28
Allergan Inc.
$28
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$27
IDORSIA PHARMACEUTICALS US INC
$22
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$18
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$17
EISAI INC.
$16
Baudax Bio Inc.
$16
Aries Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc
$14
Medicure Pharma Inc.
$13
Boston Scientific Corporation
$13
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 36.7% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AIRSUPRA · AJOVY · ANJESO · ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · AREXVY · Adzenys XR-ODT · Aimovig · Azstarys · BELSOMRA · BEVESPI AEROSPHERE · BREO · BREZTRI · BYDUREON · BYFAVO · CHANTIX · Dayvigo · ELEVIEW · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · ENTRESTO · EUCRISA · Edarbi · Edarbyclor · FARXIGA · FREESTYLE LIBRE 2 · FREESTYLE LIBRE 3 · Flexitouch Plus · GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION · Horizant · INJECTAFER · INVOKANA · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · JORNAY PM · Jornay PM 20mg capsules (Bottle of 100) · Kerendia · Korlym · LIVALO · Livalo · MOTEGRITY · MOUNJARO · MYDAYIS · NEXLETOL · NURTEC ODT · OMNIGRAFT · Ozempic · PREMARIN · PREVNAR - 13 · PREVNAR 13 · PREVNAR 20 · QELBREE · QULIPTA · QUVIVIQ · REYVOW · RYBELSUS · Repatha · Rybelsus · SEGLENTIS · SHINGRIX · SOLOSEC · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SUPRAX · SYMBICORT · Saxenda · TRADJENTA · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRINTELLIX · TRULICITY · Tresiba · Trintellix · Trulance · UBRELVY · VIBERZI · VOQUEZNA · VRAYLAR · VYVANSE · Vascepa · Victoza · Wegovy · Wellcentive Undiv · XARELTO · XIFAXAN · Xenleta · Xofluza · ZYPITAMAG
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 (99%) 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 family medicine in TX.

Equivalent to $457 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a family medicine in Nederland?
Compare family medicines in the Nederland area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Family Medicines within 10 mi
88
Per 100K population
34.7
County median income
$59,934
Nearest hospital
BAPTIST BEAUMONT HOSPITAL
8.2 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. Bell is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 10% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 4%), with 20 years of practice experience.

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. Bell experienced with dexamethasone injection (steroid)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Bell performed 1,167 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. Bell receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Bell received a total of $11,773 from 52 companies across 763 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. Bell's costs compare to other family medicines in Nederland?
Dr. Bell's average Medicare payment per service is $15. 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. Bell) 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 →