Medicare Enrolled

Dr. John Pilcher, MD

Surgery · San Antonio, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
9618 HUEBNER RD, San Antonio, TX 78240
2106143370
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1356339550 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. Pilcher 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. Pilcher? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Pilcher

Dr. John Pilcher is a surgery specialist in San Antonio, TX, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Pilcher performed 63 Medicare services across 41 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Pilcher received a total of $209,961 from 41 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 384 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in surgery. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Pilcher 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 ▲ 63 Medicare services $209,961 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
63
Medicare services
Bottom 21% in TX for surgery
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
41
Unique beneficiaries
$73
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~3 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) 36 $81 $200
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 27 $61 $150
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 ↗
$209,961
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $29,994/year across 7 years
Top 1% in TX for surgery
41
Companies
384
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$193,444 (92.1%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$13,550 (6.5%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$2,967 (1.4%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$41,460
2023
$53,245
2022
$18,955
2021
$27,940
2020
$37,332
2019
$18,510
2018
$12,518

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$165,686
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$27,758
Ethicon Inc.
$13,100
Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Bausch Health US, LLC
$543
Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc.
$450
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$450
Medtronic, Inc.
$322
Novo Nordisk Inc
$208
Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$177
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$149
Shire North American Group Inc
$130
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$100
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$88
Lilly USA, LLC
$86
Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC
$85
Baxter Healthcare
$71
Lexington Medical, Inc.
$56
KVK-Tech, Inc.
$52
RedHill Biopharma Inc.
$43
Cook Medical LLC
$42
LSI SOLUTIONS INC
$27
Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$26
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$22
Innocoll Incorporated
$21
Stryker Corporation
$20
Kerecis Limited
$20
Shield Therapeutics Inc
$19
VIVUS, Inc.
$19
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$17
TELA Bio, Inc.
$17
Innocoll Pharmaceuticals Limited
$16
Standard Bariatrics, Inc.
$16
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
$16
SHIELD THERAPEUTICS INC
$15
Davol Inc.
$14
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$14
Microline Surgical Inc
$14
Nalpropion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$14
Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc.
$13
Covidien LP
$12
Ethicon US, LLC
$11
Top 3 companies account for 98.4% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCRUFER · Aeon Endostapler & Echelon Flex Powered Stapler · BIOINTRAFIX · BRIDION · CONTRAVE · COOK MEDICAL GENERAL SURGERY · DA VINCI SP · Da Vinci Surgical System · ECHOTIP · Echelon Flex · Endo GIA · Exparel · GATTEX · INJECTAFER · Imcivree · JARDIANCE · Kerecis Omega3 Wound · LIGASURE · MOUNJARO · N/A · NASCOBAL · OMNIGRAFT · OviTex Reinforced Bioscaffold With Permanent Polymer (OviTex) · QSYMIA · SEAMGUARD · SIGNIA · SONICISION · Saxenda · TALICIA · TI KNOT · TISSEEL · TITAN SGS STANDARD GASTRIC STAPLER · TRULANCE · Talicia · VOQUEZNA · Wegovy · XARACOLL · XIFAXAN · ZEPBOUND
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 →

The majority of payments (92%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in surgery and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 1% for surgery in TX.

Equivalent to $333,271 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a surgery specialist in San Antonio?
Compare surgerists in the San Antonio area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Surgerists within 10 mi
276
Per 100K population
13.5
County median income
$70,571
Nearest hospital
SAN ANTONIO BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE 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. Pilcher is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 1% of TX peers, 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. Pilcher experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Pilcher performed 36 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. Pilcher receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Pilcher received a total of $209,961 from 41 companies across 384 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. Pilcher's costs compare to other surgerists in San Antonio?
Dr. Pilcher's average Medicare payment per service is $73. 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. Pilcher) 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 →