Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Napoleon Puente Cuellar, M.D.

Pulmonary Disease · San Antonio, TX
Practice pattern: Mixed Practice— Diverse clinical practice across multiple procedure types
Speaking/Promotional
21 SPURS LN, San Antonio, TX 78240
2106907400
In practice since 2008 (18 years)
NPI: 1962675488 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. Puente Cuellar 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. Puente Cuellar? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Puente Cuellar

Dr. Napoleon Puente Cuellar is a pulmonary disease in San Antonio, TX, with 18 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Puente Cuellar performed 2,611 Medicare services across 1,691 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Puente Cuellar received a total of $184,156 from 37 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 533 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in pulmonary disease. 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. Puente Cuellar 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.

✓ 18 years in practice▲ Top 12% volume in TX$ $184,156 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,611
Medicare services
Top 12% in TX for pulmonary disease
1,691
Unique beneficiaries
$104
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~145 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
Critical care, first 30-74 min760$163$668
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity612$91$255
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)305$89$259
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity141$61$177
Initial hospital admission, high complexity102$133$496
Test to examine how well the lungs exchange gases97$41$128
Test to determine lung volumes using sensors77$40$124
Test to measure expiratory airflow and volume changes before and after medication administration70$27$143
New patient office visit (45-59 min)42$121$397
Exam of lung airways and sampling of lymph nodes using an endoscope and ultrasound guidance, 1-2 lymph nodes37$123$585
Emergent insertion of breathing tube into windpipe using an endoscope36$107$275
Computer-assisted image-guided navigation of lung airways using an endoscope35$72$250
Irrigation and suction of lung airways to obtain cells using an endoscope32$59$340
Exam of lung airways with diagnostic or therapeutic procedure on growths using an endoscope and ultrasound31$50$170
Test to measure expiratory airflow and volume31$20$85
Biopsy of lobe of lung using an endoscope, 1 lobe27$61$445
Destruction of growth or narrowing of lung airway using an endoscope25$185$643
Insertion of non-tunneled central venous tube for infusion (5 years or older)25$64$562
3d radiographic procedure with computerized image postprocessing22$29$153
Needle biopsy of windpipe cartilage, airway, and/or lung using an endoscope20$55$475
Insertion of artery tube for blood sampling or infusion through skin19$34$128
Drug injection, under skin or into muscle19$10$60
Insertion of tube connecting vein to vein for hemodialysis18$89$309
Diagnostic exam of lung airway using an endoscope15$86$350
Critical care, each additional 30 minutes13$82$299
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.
1.7% high complexity
5.8% medium
92.5% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$184,156
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $26,308/year across 7 years
Top 3% in TX for pulmonary disease
37
Companies
533
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
$172,954 (93.9%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$11,203 (6.1%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$25,048
2023
$39,897
2022
$48,563
2021
$52,863
2020
$11,547
2019
$4,965
2018
$1,274

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.
$150,733
INTUITIVE SURGICAL, INC.
$24,167
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$2,236
Pulmonx Corporation
$1,401
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$905
Mylan Specialty L.P.
$752
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$475
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$367
GENZYME CORPORATION
$362
ABIOMED
$293
Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
$259
Insmed, Inc.
$209
Olympus America Inc.
$197
United Therapeutics Corporation
$181
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$164
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$162
Abbott Laboratories
$156
Veran Medical Technologies, Inc.
$151
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$137
Genentech USA, Inc.
$119
Boston Scientific Corporation
$111
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$100
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$63
Electromed, Inc.
$61
Advanced Respiratory, Inc
$55
Philips Electronics North America Corporation
$53
Baxter Healthcare
$40
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$39
Circassia Pharmaceuticals Inc
$37
PFIZER INC.
$30
ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$28
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$25
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$24
Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$19
Grifols USA, LLC
$17
Shire North American Group Inc
$15
Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
$14
Top 3 companies account for 96.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(8874) inCourage · ACQUIRE · AIRSUPRA · ANDEXXA · ANORO · ANORO ELLIPTA · AREXVY · Adempas · Arikayce · BEVESPI AEROSPHERE · BREO · BREZTRI · CHARTIS CATHETER · DUPIXENT · Da Vinci Surgical System · ELIQUIS · EXALT · EXALT Model D · EXPECT · Esbriet · FASENRA · Flexitouch Plus · GLASSIA · General - Pulmonary · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Dev · HeartWare HVAD · Hillrom - Monarch Airway Clearance System · Impella · NUCALA · OFEV · OPSUMIT · OPSUMIT MACITENTAN · ORENITRAM · PURIFIED CORTROPHIN GEL · Perforomist · Prolastin-C Liquid · Pulmonx Endobronchial Valve EBV · Respiratory Needles · SMARTVEST · SPIRIVA RESPIMAT · STIOLTO RESPIMAT · SYMBICORT · Spin · SpyGlass · TAGRISSO · TEZSPIRE · TRELEGY ELLIPTA · TUDORZA PRESSAIR · TYVASO · The MetaNeb System · The Vest System 205 Acute Care · UPTRAVI · Volara System · XARELTO · XOLAIR · Xolair · Xyrem · YUPELRI · Yupelri
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 (94%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in pulmonary disease and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 3% for pulmonary disease in TX.

Equivalent to $7,053 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a pulmonary disease in San Antonio?
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Geographic Context

Pulmonary Diseases within 10 mi
74
Per 100K population
3.6
County median income
$70,571
Nearest hospital
SAN ANTONIO BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE HOSPITAL
0.0 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. Puente Cuellar is a mixed practice specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 12% in TX), and high industry engagement (speaking/promotional, top 3%), with 18 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. Puente Cuellar experienced with critical care, first 30-74 min?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Puente Cuellar performed 760 critical care, first 30-74 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. Puente Cuellar receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Puente Cuellar received a total of $184,156 from 37 companies across 533 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. Puente Cuellar's costs compare to other pulmonary diseases in San Antonio?
Dr. Puente Cuellar's average Medicare payment per service is $104. 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. Puente Cuellar) 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 →