Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Stephen Gates, M.D.

Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program · San Antonio, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
2829 BABCOCK RD STE 700, San Antonio, TX 78229
2108045400
In practice since 2015 (10 years)
NPI: 1124414933 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. Gates 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. Gates? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Gates

Dr. Stephen Gates is a student in an organized health care education/training program specialist in San Antonio, TX, with 10 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Gates performed 2,264 Medicare services across 1,143 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Gates received a total of $3,683 from 5 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 18 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in student in an organized health care education/training program. 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. Gates 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.

✓ 10 years in practice ▲ Top 9% volume in TX $3,683 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
2,264
Medicare services
Top 9% in TX for student in an organized health care education/training program
1,143
Unique beneficiaries
$49
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~226 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
Steroid injection (triamcinolone) 922 $1 $25
Shoulder X-ray, 2+ views 280 $25 $84
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) 269 $61 $178
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) 234 $89 $262
Joint injection, major joint 200 $49 $169
New patient office visit (30-44 min) 61 $72 $262
Mri scan of arm joint without contrast 44 $100 $680
New patient office visit (45-59 min) 43 $109 $400
X-ray of elbow, minimum of 3 views 39 $23 $90
Ct scan of arm without contrast 27 $83 $464
X-ray of wrist, minimum of 3 views 25 $30 $102
X-ray of knee, 4 or more views 21 $31 $114
Initial hospital admission, high complexity 21 $117 $500
Removal of extensive shoulder joint tissue using an endoscope 14 $96 $3,039
Release of tendon connecting biceps muscle and shoulder using an endoscope 14 $396 $4,488
Anchoring of biceps tendon 13 $289 $2,500
Prosthetic repair of shoulder joint, total shoulder 13 $1,114 $7,189
Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from medium joint 12 $27 $123
Repair of shoulder rotator cuff using an endoscope 12 $818 $5,205
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 ↗
$3,683
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $737/year across 5 years
Top 10% in TX for student in an organized health care education/training program
5
Companies
18
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
$2,290 (62.2%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$1,393 (37.8%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$93
2023
$169
2022
$475
2021
$1,855
2018
$1,090

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Liberty Surgical Inc.
$1,200
Stryker Corporation
$1,198
Pylant Medical
$1,090
KCI USA, Inc.
$101
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$93
Top 3 companies account for 94.7% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
AUGMENT INJECTABLE · BLUEPRINT PATIENT SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTATION · Bioinductive Implant with Arthroscopic Delivery System - Medium · INSPACE · V.A.C. VERAFLO
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 (62%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in student in an organized health care education/training program and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware. Total industry engagement is in the top 10% for student in an organized health care education/training program in TX.

Equivalent to $163 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a student in an organized health care education/training program specialist in San Antonio?
Compare student in an organized health care education/training programs in the San Antonio area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Student in an organized health care education/training programs within 10 mi
2,327
Per 100K population
114.2
County median income
$70,571
Nearest hospital
UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM
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. Gates is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 9% in TX), with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 10% of TX peers.

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. Gates experienced with steroid injection (triamcinolone)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Gates performed 922 steroid injection (triamcinolone) 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. Gates receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Gates received a total of $3,683 from 5 companies across 18 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. Gates's costs compare to other student in an organized health care education/training programs in San Antonio?
Dr. Gates's average Medicare payment per service is $49. 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. Gates) 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 →