Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Ashton Hughes, PA-C

Physician Assistant · Odessa, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
3051 E UNIVERSITY BLVD, Odessa, TX 79762
4323624376
In practice since 2012 (14 years)
NPI: 1912277229 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. Hughes 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. Hughes

Dr. Ashton Hughes is a physician assistant in Odessa, TX, with 14 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Hughes performed 2,037 Medicare services across 1,379 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Hughes received a total of $4,850 from 27 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 302 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in physician assistant. 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. Hughes 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.

✓ 14 years in practice ▲ Top 6% volume in TX $4,850 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,037
Medicare services
Top 6% in TX for physician assistant
1,379
Unique beneficiaries
$20
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~146 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
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 402 $46 $150
Blood draw (venipuncture) 191 $8 $20
Automated urinalysis 191 $2 $22
Comprehensive metabolic blood panel 169 $10 $75
Complete blood count (CBC) with differential 146 $8 $35
Lipid panel (cholesterol and triglycerides) 106 $13 $77
Ceftriaxone antibiotic injection 101 $0 $28
Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test 98 $16 $65
Urine culture, bacterial colony count 88 $8 $35
Free thyroxine (T4) test 86 $9 $25
Annual wellness visit, follow-up 59 $105 $150
Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) 47 $10 $45
Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 80 mg 45 $5 $28
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 44 $61 $220
Chest X-ray, 2 views 43 $18 $98
Dexamethasone injection (steroid) 42 $0 $5
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle 34 $8 $65
Detection test by immunoassay technique for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and influenza 30 $48 $180
Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead 28 $7 $54
Injection, vitamin b-12 cyanocobalamin, up to 1000 mcg 24 $1 $18
Prostate cancer screening; prostate specific antigen test (psa) 20 $19 $72
X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views 17 $23 $105
Uric acid level test 14 $4 $22
Natriuretic peptide (heart and blood vessel protein) level 12 $38 $75
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 ↗
$4,850
Total received (2021-2024)
Avg $1,213/year across 4 years
Top 9% in TX for physician assistant
27
Companies
302
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
$4,850 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$834
2023
$1,200
2022
$1,280
2021
$1,537

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$713
Amgen Inc.
$611
Lilly USA, LLC
$605
Novo Nordisk Inc
$354
PFIZER INC.
$324
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$263
ABBVIE INC.
$251
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$207
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$198
Abbott Laboratories
$173
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$167
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$160
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$144
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
$138
AbbVie Inc.
$137
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$79
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$78
Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$39
Exact Sciences Corporation
$37
Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.
$33
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$30
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$25
Eisai Inc.
$20
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$19
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$18
ITI, Inc.
$15
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 39.8% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AIRSUPRA · ANORO ELLIPTA · AREXVY · Aimovig · Auvelity · BELSOMRA · BREZTRI · CAPLYTA · COMIRNATY · Cologuard Collection Kit · Dayvigo · ELIQUIS · EMGALITY · EVENITY · Edarbyclor · FARXIGA · FASENRA · FREESTYLE LIBRE 2 · FREESTYLE LIBRE 3 · INVOKANA · JANUVIA · JARDIANCE · MOUNJARO · MYRBETRIQ · Myrbetriq · NURTEC ODT · Octrode SCS Leads · Otezla · Ozempic · PAXLOVID · PROCLAIM · QULIPTA · RAYOS · REXULTI · Repatha · Rybelsus · SOLIQUA 100/33 · SYNJARDY · TOUJEO · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TRINTELLIX · TRULICITY · UBRELVY · VRAYLAR · Vascepa · Veozah · XARELTO · 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. Total industry engagement is in the top 9% for physician assistant in TX.

Equivalent to $238 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a physician assistant in Odessa?
Compare physician assistants in the Odessa area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Physician assistants within 10 mi
147
Per 100K population
90.1
County median income
$71,031
Nearest hospital
MEDICAL CENTER HOSPITAL
4.8 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. Hughes is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 6% in TX), with low-engagement industry engagement in the top 9% of TX peers.

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. Hughes experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Hughes performed 402 office visit, established patient (20-29 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. Hughes receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Hughes received a total of $4,850 from 27 companies across 302 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. Hughes's costs compare to other physician assistants in Odessa?
Dr. Hughes's average Medicare payment per service is $20. 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. Hughes) 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 →