Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Michelle Cunningham, M.D.

Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Internal Medicine) Physician · Shenandoah, TX
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
17189 I 45 S STE 175, Shenandoah, TX 77385
9362704200
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1700969219 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. Cunningham 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. Cunningham? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Cunningham

Dr. Michelle Cunningham is a hospice and palliative medicine (internal medicine) physician in Shenandoah, TX, with 19 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Cunningham performed 705 Medicare services across 281 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Cunningham received a total of $4,183 from 33 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 143 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in hospice and palliative medicine (internal medicine) physician. 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. Cunningham 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 20% volume in TX$ $4,183 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
705
Medicare services
Top 20% in TX for hospice and palliative medicine (internal medicine) physician
281
Unique beneficiaries
$61
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · Not a quality rating · How to read this →
~37 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
Office visit, established patient (30-39 min)290$71$236
Removal of skin and tissue, 20.0 sq cm or less189$42$244
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)114$46$159
Removal of skin and tissue, each additional 20.0 sq cm or less47$18$92
New patient office visit, complex (60-74 min)39$138$450
Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min)26$109$316
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 ↗
$4,183
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $598/year across 7 years
Top 12% in TX for hospice and palliative medicine (internal medicine) physician
33
Companies
143
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
$4,079 (97.5%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$104 (2.5%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$1,141
2023
$803
2022
$538
2021
$161
2020
$142
2019
$833
2018
$563

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Smith+Nephew, Inc.
$1,292
Medtronic Vascular, Inc.
$331
BIOTISSUE HOLDINGS INC.
$225
Smith & Nephew, Inc.
$204
E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C.
$183
ABIOMED
$178
KCI USA, Inc
$150
Impulse Dynamics (USA) Inc.
$144
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$129
Boston Scientific Corporation
$121
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
$119
Kerecis Limited
$113
ShockWave Medical, Inc
$106
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$105
Avinger Inc.
$104
Organogenesis Inc.
$104
Urgo Medical North America, LLC
$96
RedDress USA, Inc.
$95
Osiris Therapeutics Inc.
$49
C. R. Bard, Inc. & Subsidiaries
$42
Tactile Systems Technology Inc
$40
Reapplix Inc.
$39
ConvaTec Inc.
$36
Teleflex LLC
$26
CashFlow Solutions, LLC
$21
Aroa Biosurgery Incorporated
$21
Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$18
Advanced Oxygen Therapy Inc.
$17
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation
$17
Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC
$17
Amgen Inc.
$13
Next Science LLC
$13
3M Company
$12
Top 3 companies account for 44.2% of total payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
3C Patch Kit - Box · ACTICOAT 4" X 4" · AQUACEL FOAM · Acticoat Range · Apligraf · Bard Urinary Drainage Bag · BlastX · COLLAGENASE SANTYL · CONTRAVE · ClosureFast · ELIQUIS · ESTEEM · FLEXITOUCH · Flexitouch Plus · GENERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION · GRAFIX PL · GRAFIX/GRAFIXPL/STRAVIX · Impella · JARDIANCE · KERRACEL AG · Kerecis Omega3 SurgiClose · Lympha Press Optimal Plus(US) BT · NUZYRA · OASIS · OASIS MICRO · Optimizer Smart System · PANTHERIS · PICO · PICO 7 · PICO 7 Single Use Negative Pressure Wound Therapy · PRALUENT · QuikClot · REGRANEX · RENASYS · RENASYS GO v2 HOME · Repatha · Reveal LINQ · SHOCKWAVE IVL SYSTEM WITH THE SHOCKWAVE C2 CORONARY IVL CATHETER · STRAVIX · STRAVIX MESH · STRAVIX PL · Santyl · Tegaderm Antimicrobial IV Advanced Securement Dressing · Topical wound oxygen · UPTRAVI · VASHE WOUND SOLUTION 250 ML (8.5 FL OZ) FLIP TOP CAP · ZERBAXA
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 $593 per 100 Medicare services performed
Looking for a hospice and palliative medicine (internal medicine) physician in Shenandoah?
Compare hospice and palliative medicine (internal medicine) physicians in the Shenandoah area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
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Geographic Context

Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Internal Medicine) Physicians within 10 mi
6
Per 100K population
0.9
County median income
$97,266
Nearest hospital
HOUSTON METHODIST THE WOODLANDS 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. Cunningham is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 20% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 12%), with 19 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. Cunningham experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Cunningham performed 290 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. Cunningham receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Cunningham received a total of $4,183 from 33 companies across 143 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. Cunningham's costs compare to other hospice and palliative medicine (internal medicine) physicians in Shenandoah?
Dr. Cunningham's average Medicare payment per service is $61. 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. Cunningham) 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 →