Dr. Carlos Alvarez-Meraz, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Alvarez-Meraz
Dr. Carlos Alvarez-Meraz is an optician specialist in San Antonio, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Alvarez-Meraz performed 1,649 Medicare services across 999 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Alvarez-Meraz received a total of $285 from 6 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 8 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in optician. 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. Alvarez-Meraz 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, complex (40-54 min) | 319 | $123 | $422 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity | 309 | $92 | $309 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 264 | $88 | $313 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity | 133 | $60 | $214 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up | 96 | $117 | $338 |
| Hemoglobin A1c test (diabetes monitoring) | 84 | $9 | $40 |
| Automated urinalysis | 82 | $2 | $9 |
| Initial hospital admission, high complexity | 66 | $127 | $599 |
| Prolonged office or other outpatient evaluation and management service(s) beyond the maximum required time of the primary procedure which has been selected using total time on the date of the primary service; each additional 15 minutes by the physician or | 58 | $24 | $97 |
| Prolonged hospital inpatient or observation care evaluation and management service(s) beyond the total time for the primary service (when the primary service has been selected using time on the date of the primary service); each additional 15 minutes by th | 51 | $23 | $121 |
| Hospital discharge management, 30+ min | 48 | $86 | $317 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead | 42 | $9 | $49 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 29 | $58 | $213 |
| Critical care, first 30-74 min | 26 | $167 | $805 |
| Assessment of emotional or behavioral problems | 17 | $3 | $16 |
| Annual depression screening | 13 | $18 | $52 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 12 | $157 | $604 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2021 ↗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 (2021)
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
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 2021 |
| 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. Alvarez-Meraz is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 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. Alvarez-Meraz experienced with office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)?
Does Dr. Alvarez-Meraz receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Alvarez-Meraz's costs compare to other opticians in San Antonio?
What does Data Coverage mean?
Is this data up to date?
Explore related providers
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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