Medicare Enrolled

Dr. David Salazar, M.D.

Optician · San Antonio, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
1139 E SONTERRA BLVD STE 300, San Antonio, TX 78258
2104990770
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1104810910 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. Salazar 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. Salazar? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Salazar

Dr. David Salazar is an optician specialist in San Antonio, TX, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Salazar performed 1,578 Medicare services across 1,205 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Salazar received a total of $5,548 from 24 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 281 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. Salazar 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 38% volume in TX $5,548 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,578
Medicare services
Top 38% in TX for optician
1,205
Unique beneficiaries
$85
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~79 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 (30-39 min)
A follow-up office visit for an existing patient lasting between 30 and 39 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
389 $88 $200
Critical care, first 30-74 min
Emergency medical care for a critically ill or injured patient lasting between 30 and 74 minutes. This service involves direct patient care and medical decision making to stabilize the patient.
221 $157 $400
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity
Subsequent hospital inpatient or observation care for an existing patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 50 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
183 $91 $200
Expiratory airflow and volume test
A test that measures the amount of air you can exhale and the speed at which you can breathe it out. It evaluates lung function by assessing expiratory airflow and volume.
168 $19 $65
Lung volume test using gas dilution or washout
A test that measures the amount of air in your lungs by using a gas dilution or washout method.
135 $32 $85
Pulmonary gas exchange test
A test to examine how well the lungs exchange gases.
135 $40 $107
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) 65 $154 $327
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity
Follow-up hospital visit for an existing patient involving moderate medical decision making. The visit requires at least 35 minutes of time spent on the date of service.
65 $58 $140
New patient office visit (45-59 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter.
57 $101 $250
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
48 $65 $141
Home sleep study test with type II portable monitor
An unattended sleep study performed at home using a portable monitor that records at least seven channels, including brain activity, eye movement, muscle activity, heart rate, airflow, breathing effort, and oxygen levels.
38 $101 $450
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)
An office or outpatient visit for an existing patient lasting between 40 and 54 minutes. This level of service is determined by the total time spent on the date of the encounter.
33 $124 $325
Initial hospital admission, high complexity
Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving high-level medical decision making, with at least 75 minutes total time on the date of the encounter.
30 $131 $400
Home sleep test with portable monitor
An unattended sleep study performed at home using a portable monitor that records breathing, heart rate, and oxygen levels.
11 $62 $350
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 ↗
$5,548
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $793/year across 7 years
Top 25% in TX for optician
24
Companies
281
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
$5,548 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$218
2023
$973
2022
$259
2021
$376
2020
$671
2019
$1,728
2018
$1,323

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$1,273
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$1,024
Grifols USA, LLC
$636
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$570
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$469
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$308
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$240
Mylan Specialty L.P.
$226
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$146
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$124
Maquet Cardiovascular U.S. Sales, L.L.C.
$102
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$81
Genentech USA, Inc.
$75
Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc
$46
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$41
PORTOLA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$32
Mallinckrodt LLC
$28
Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$24
GENZYME CORPORATION
$22
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$21
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Inc
$17
Shire North American Group Inc
$16
Insmed, Inc.
$15
PFIZER INC.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 52.9% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(8874) inCourage · ACTHAR · ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · AREXVY · Arikayce · BEVYXXA · BREO · BREO ELLIPTA · BREZTRI · CARDIOHELP · DUPIXENT · EDWARDS SAPIEN 3 TRANSCATHETER HEART VALVE (THV) · ELIQUIS · GLASSIA · NUCALA · OFEV · OPSUMIT · OPSUMIT MACITENTAN · Obstructive Sleep Apnea Device or Hospital Respiratory Equipment · Perforomist · Prolastin-C · Prolastin-C Liquid · SPIRIVA RESPIMAT · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SUNOSI · SYMBICORT · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TUDORZA PRESSAIR · UPTRAVI · XARELTO · XOLAIR · Xofluza · Xolair · Yupelri · ZERBAXA · inCourage
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 $352 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for an optician specialist in San Antonio?
Compare opticians in the San Antonio area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Opticians within 10 mi
195
Per 100K population
9.6
County median income
$70,571
Nearest hospital
SOUTH TEXAS SPINE AND SURGICAL HOSPITAL
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 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. Salazar is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, 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. Salazar experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Salazar performed 389 office visit, established patient (30-39 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. Salazar receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Salazar received a total of $5,548 from 24 companies across 281 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. Salazar's costs compare to other opticians in San Antonio?
Dr. Salazar's average Medicare payment per service is $85. 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. Salazar) 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 →