Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Naushad Zafar, M.D.

Nephrology · San Antonio, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
4511 NW LOOP 410, San Antonio, TX 78229
2106147900
In practice since 2005 (20 years)
NPI: 1396729083 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. Zafar 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. Zafar? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Zafar

Dr. Naushad Zafar is a nephrology in San Antonio, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Zafar performed 1,806 Medicare services across 752 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Zafar received a total of $4,964 from 39 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 148 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in nephrology. 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. Zafar 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 29% volume in TX$ $4,964 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
1,806
Medicare services
Top 29% in TX for nephrology
752
Unique beneficiaries
$110
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~90 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
Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity574$60$226
Hospital follow-up visit, high complexity380$91$340
Dialysis services, 4 or more physician visits per month (20 years or older)309$264$1,054
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)291$62$364
Hemodialysis, single evaluation69$55$213
Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity57$99$372
Initial hospital admission, high complexity56$126$496
Dialysis services, 2-3 physician visits per month (20 years or older)40$225$873
New patient office visit (45-59 min)15$111$475
Critical care, first 30-74 min15$164$816
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 ↗
$4,964
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $709/year across 7 years
Top 20% in TX for nephrology
39
Companies
148
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
$4,878 (98.3%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$86 (1.7%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,307
2023
$715
2022
$557
2021
$718
2020
$219
2019
$610
2018
$839

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
OPKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC
$499
Aurinia Pharma U.S., Inc.
$405
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$393
Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.
$350
Amgen Inc.
$322
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$256
CorMedix Inc.
$195
Horizon Therapeutics plc
$178
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
$166
Mallinckrodt Enterprises LLC
$142
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$141
GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.
$140
Lilly USA, LLC
$139
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$125
Mallinckrodt LLC
$118
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company
$117
Novo Nordisk Inc
$117
Fresenius USA Marketing, Inc.
$114
CALLIDITAS THERAPEUTICS US INC.
$106
BAXTER HEALTHCARE
$86
Ardelyx, Inc.
$83
Travere Therapeutics, Inc.
$81
Vifor Pharma, Inc.
$76
ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$71
NxStage Medical, Inc.
$69
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$63
Relypsa, Inc.
$54
AKEBIA THERAPEUTICS INC
$53
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$52
SHIELD THERAPEUTICS INC
$47
Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$32
PFIZER INC.
$30
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
$28
Calliditas Therapeutics US Inc.
$25
Melinta Therapeutics, LLC
$21
Horizon Pharma plc
$20
Cook Medical LLC
$18
Genentech USA, Inc.
$16
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$15
Top 3 companies account for 26.1% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACCRUFER · ACTHAR · Auryxia · BENLYSTA · BRILINTA · DefenCath · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · ENVARSUS · FARXIGA · Fabhalta · GIAPREZA · IBSRELA · JARDIANCE · JYNARQUE · KRYSTEXXA · Kerendia · LOKELMA · LUPKYNIS · MOUNJARO · Orbactiv · PURIFIED CORTROPHIN GEL · Parsabiv · RAYALDEE · Rayaldee · Renal - PD · Rituxan · SAMSCA · SYSTEM ONE · TARPEYO · TAVNEOS · TRADJENTA · VERQUVO · Vafseo · Velphoro · Veltassa · ZENITH SPIRAL-Z
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 (98%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Equivalent to $275 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a nephrology in San Antonio?
Compare nephrologys in the San Antonio area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse nephrologys nearby

Geographic Context

Nephrologys within 10 mi
101
Per 100K population
5.0
County median income
$70,571
Nearest hospital
UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM
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. Zafar is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 29% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 20%), with 20 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. Zafar experienced with hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Zafar performed 574 hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity 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. Zafar receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Zafar received a total of $4,964 from 39 companies across 148 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. Zafar's costs compare to other nephrologys in San Antonio?
Dr. Zafar's average Medicare payment per service is $110. 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. Zafar) 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 →