Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Laura Fernandes, MD
Cardiovascular Disease · Shenandoah, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
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. Fernandes 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Fernandes
Dr. Laura Fernandes is a cardiovascular disease specialist in Shenandoah, TX, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Fernandes performed 7,206 Medicare services across 3,249 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Fernandes received a total of $12,634 from 49 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 549 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in cardiovascular disease. 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. Fernandes 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.
✓ 19 years in practice
▲ Top 7% volume in TX
$12,634 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗7,206
Medicare services
Top 7% in TX for cardiovascular disease
3,249
Unique beneficiaries
$74
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~379 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. |
988 | $95 | $374 |
| Remote vital sign monitoring management, each additional 20 minutes This code covers the time spent by a provider managing patient data from remote vital sign monitoring devices. It applies to each additional 20-minute increment beyond the initial monthly service period. |
803 | $31 | $116 |
| Remote patient monitoring management, 20 min/month Management based on results from remote vital sign monitoring for the first 20 minutes per calendar month. |
761 | $37 | $142 |
| Remote patient monitoring device, 30 days Initial setup of devices for remote monitoring of body functions with daily data transmission or alerts. This service covers the first 30 days of the monitoring period. |
600 | $37 | $143 |
| EKG interpretation and report A standard electrocardiogram test that records the heart's electrical activity using at least 12 leads. The service includes a professional interpretation of the results and a written report. |
590 | $6 | $24 |
| Chronic care management, first 20 min/month This service covers the first 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional each calendar month to manage chronic conditions. |
505 | $48 | $183 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead A standard heart rhythm test using at least 12 leads to record electrical activity. A healthcare provider interprets the results and provides a written report. |
306 | $11 | $42 |
| Remote physiologic monitoring setup and education Initial setup of remote monitoring equipment and patient education on its use. |
283 | $14 | $55 |
| 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. |
281 | $69 | $264 |
| 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. |
256 | $62 | $226 |
| Echocardiogram, transthoracic An ultrasound of the heart that uses color to show blood flow, rate, direction, and valve function. |
215 | $143 | $573 |
| Regadenoson injection (Lexiscan) for heart stress test An injection of regadenoson, a medication used to stress the heart during diagnostic testing. |
185 | $42 | $629 |
| Ultrasound of arm or leg veins An ultrasound exam of the veins in the arm or leg. The test uses sound waves to check blood flow and may include compression and other maneuvers. |
172 | $139 | $550 |
| Chronic care management, additional 20 min/month This service covers an extra 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a healthcare professional for managing two or more chronic conditions each calendar month. |
153 | $37 | $138 |
| 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. |
133 | $137 | $526 |
| Technetium Tc-99m sestamibi diagnostic injection A diagnostic injection of technetium Tc-99m sestamibi used for imaging studies. |
86 | $88 | $339 |
| Nuclear stress test of heart muscle A nuclear medicine imaging test that evaluates blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and during stress using a special camera. |
80 | $338 | $1,276 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram under physician supervision and review. |
78 | $48 | $210 |
| Chemical destruction of first incompetent vein with imaging guidance This procedure uses imaging guidance to chemically destroy the first incompetent vein in the arm or leg. |
68 | $1,292 | $4,905 |
| Ultrasound of arm or leg veins An ultrasound exam of the veins in one arm or leg using compression and other maneuvers to assess blood flow and check for blockages. |
68 | $90 | $348 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity Initial hospital inpatient or observation care for a new patient involving moderate-level medical decision making, with at least 55 minutes total time on the date of the encounter. |
64 | $102 | $383 |
| Ultrasound of head and neck blood flow, bilateral An ultrasound exam that uses sound waves to visualize and assess blood flow in the vessels of both the head and the neck. |
61 | $137 | $559 |
| Ultrasound of arm and leg arteries This procedure uses sound waves to create images of the blood vessels in the arms and legs. It allows healthcare providers to examine the structure and blood flow within these arteries. |
48 | $59 | $239 |
| 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. |
46 | $121 | $490 |
| Ultrasound of leg arteries or grafts An imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the blood vessels in the legs or any surgical grafts present. |
44 | $139 | $708 |
| Sleep study with heart rate and breathing monitoring A sleep study that monitors heart rate, breathing patterns, and sleep duration. This test records physiological data while you sleep to assess your sleep quality and breathing function. |
43 | $102 | $440 |
| 2-day continuous ECG with review and report A two-day continuous electrocardiogram recording that includes a professional review and written report of the results. |
41 | $43 | $214 |
| Continuous ECG monitoring, up to 30 days Continuous heart rhythm monitoring for up to 30 days, including professional review and reporting of the results. |
32 | $19 | $75 |
| 30-day continuous ECG with patient-triggered event transmission and review This procedure involves continuous electrocardiogram monitoring for up to 30 days, including the transmission of patient-triggered events. A healthcare professional reviews the data and provides a report. |
30 | $647 | $2,420 |
| Sedation by physician, initial 15 minutes Administration of a drug to induce depression of consciousness by the physician performing a procedure. This code covers the initial 15 minutes of sedation for patients aged 5 years or older. |
28 | $10 | $52 |
| Remote pacemaker/defibrillator monitoring, 90 days Remote evaluation of a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator system within 90 days of the last check. |
25 | $15 | $65 |
| Transitional care management, high complexity Coordination of care for a patient transitioning from a short-term hospital stay or other facility to home or another care setting. This service addresses a high-complexity medical problem. |
25 | $216 | $808 |
| Annual depression screening | 22 | $18 | $54 |
| New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min) | 20 | $169 | $643 |
| 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. |
20 | $138 | $529 |
| Cardiac catheterization | 19 | $211 | $1,540 |
| Transitional care management services, moderate complexity Services provided to coordinate care during the transition from an inpatient or other facility setting back to the community. This includes follow-up and management of a health problem of at least moderate complexity. |
14 | $159 | $598 |
| Exercise or drug-induced heart stress test with ECG A heart stress test performed using exercise or medication while monitoring the electrocardiogram, with physician review of the results. |
13 | $11 | $42 |
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.
3.6% high complexity
12.5% medium
83.9% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$12,634
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $1,805/year across 7 years
Top 27% in TX for cardiovascular disease
49
Companies
549
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
$12,417 (98.3%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$217 (1.7%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,583
2023
$2,030
2022
$1,909
2021
$3,355
2020
$904
2019
$1,510
2018
$1,342
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Abbott Laboratories
$2,230
Amgen Inc.
$1,162
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
$1,135
Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc
$949
Medtronic, Inc.
$748
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
$608
Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
$547
Boston Scientific Corporation
$521
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
$411
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$379
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$373
Astellas Pharma US Inc
$217
PFIZER INC.
$215
ARBOR PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$205
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
$199
Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$198
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$185
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
$165
ZOLL Services LLC (A/K/A ZOLL LifeCor Corp)
$160
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$152
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
$145
Amarin Pharma Inc.
$141
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$137
Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
$131
Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
$130
HeartFlow, Inc.
$113
iRhythm Technologies, Inc.
$112
SANOFI-AVENTIS U.S. LLC
$97
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.
$94
Daiichi Sankyo Inc.
$91
Novo Nordisk Inc
$83
Biosense Webster, Inc.
$79
ARALEZ PHARMACEUTICALS US INC.
$64
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$60
Cleerly, Inc.
$50
Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
$46
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$34
SCPHARMACEUTICALS INC.
$33
CVRx, Inc.
$30
Relypsa, Inc.
$29
Imbed Biosciences Inc.
$29
CashFlow Solutions, LLC
$24
Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$22
Itamar Medical Inc
$18
Lilly USA, LLC
$18
MEDICOMP INC
$18
HEARTFLOW, INC.
$18
Philips North America LLC
$16
Allergan Inc.
$12
Top 3 companies account for 35.8% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
(CK7) Extended Holter · ABSOLUTE PRO · AMPLATZER · AZURE XT DR MRI SURESCAN · Absolute Pro vascular stent system · BRILINTA · BYSTOLIC · Barostim Neo System · CARTO 3 · CHANTIX · CONFIRM RX · COREVALVE EVOLUT R · Cardiac Monitor · Cleerly Ischemia · Confirm Rx · Connectivity and Remote care · CoreValve Evolut · Corlanor · Diamondback Peripheral · ELIQUIS · ENTRESTO · Edarbi · Edarbyclor · Edwards SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve · Emboshield NAV6 system · EnSite Precision Cardiac Mapping System · Ensite Cardiac Mapping System · FARXIGA · FFRct · FLEXITOUCH · FUROSCIX · Flexitouch Plus · HawkOne · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device · HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Dev · Herculink Elite renal and biliary stent system · Horizant · ILAB · INJECTAFER · INSPIRE · Inpefa · JARDIANCE · LEQVIO · LEXISCAN · LYMPHA PRESS OPTIMAL PLUS(US) BT · LifeVest · Livalo · MC3 Crescent Jugular Dual Lumen Catheter · MICRA · MULTAQ · Merlin Connectivity and Remote · MitraClip System · NEXLETOL · NEXLIZET · ONPATTRO · OPTIS · Omnilink Elite vascular stent system · Ozempic · PRADAXA · PRALUENT · PRESSUREWIRE · Pacemakers · Perclose ProGlide suture mediated closure system · RESONATE · REVEAL LINQ · Repatha · Saxenda · Supera peripheral stent system · THORATEC HEARTMATE 3 LVAS IMPLANT KIT · TRULICITY · VENASEAL · VERQUVO · Varithena Administration Pack · Vascepa · Veltassa · WATCHMAN · WATCHMAN Access System · WatchPATONE · XARELTO · XIENCE SIERRA · XIENCE SKYPOINT · XIENCE V · Xience Sierra Coronary Stent · Xience Sierra Coronary Stent System · ZIO Patch · ZONTIVITY · Zio monitor
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 $175 per 100 Medicare services performed
Geographic Context
Cardiologists within 10 mi
154
Per 100K population
23.5
County median income
$97,266
Nearest hospital
HOUSTON METHODIST THE WOODLANDS HOSPITAL
4.2 mi
4.2 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. Fernandes is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 7% in TX), with low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 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. Fernandes experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Fernandes performed 988 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. Fernandes receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Fernandes received a total of $12,634 from 49 companies across 549 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. Fernandes's costs compare to other cardiologists in Shenandoah?
Dr. Fernandes's average Medicare payment per service is $74. 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. Fernandes) 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 →
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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.
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