Dr. Matthew Nicola, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Nicola
Dr. Matthew Nicola is a family medicine in Spring Branch, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Nicola performed 2,721 Medicare services across 2,107 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Nicola received a total of $456 from 6 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 11 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in family medicine. 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. Nicola 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.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗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) | 850 | $77 | $162 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 691 | $55 | $123 |
| Annual wellness visit, follow-up | 180 | $126 | $175 |
| Urinalysis, manual | 162 | $3 | $20 |
| Flu vaccine administration | 126 | $29 | $30 |
| Flu vaccine, high-dose | 123 | $72 | $75 |
| Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for influenza virus | 56 | $16 | $25 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle | 55 | $9 | $45 |
| Prothrombin time test (blood clotting) | 53 | $4 | $28 |
| Electrocardiogram (EKG), 12-lead | 53 | $8 | $45 |
| Anticoagulant management of patient taking warfarin | 46 | $8 | $17 |
| Office visit, established patient, complex (40-54 min) | 41 | $113 | $215 |
| New patient office or other outpatient visit, 15-29 minutes | 37 | $33 | $131 |
| Initial preventive physical examination; face-to-face visit, services limited to new beneficiary during the first 12 months of medicare enrollment | 29 | $161 | $185 |
| Chest X-ray, 2 views | 28 | $25 | $80 |
| Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (covid-19) | 28 | $39 | $43 |
| Physician or allowed practitioner re-certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians a | 28 | $31 | $50 |
| Physician or allowed practitioner certification for medicare-covered home health services under a home health plan of care (patient not present), including contacts with home health agency and review of reports of patient status required by physicians and | 24 | $41 | $65 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) | 21 | $62 | $161 |
| Cervical or vaginal cancer screening; pelvic and clinical breast examination | 14 | $38 | $50 |
| Electrocardiogram, routine ecg with 12 leads; tracing only, without interpretation and report, performed as a screening for the initial preventive physical examination | 14 | $3 | $25 |
| Electrocardiogram, routine ecg with 12 leads; interpretation and report only, performed as a screening for the initial preventive physical examination | 14 | $5 | $20 |
| Annual wellness visit; includes a personalized prevention plan of service (pps), initial visit | 13 | $162 | $190 |
| Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for streptococcus, group a (strep) | 12 | $16 | $30 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 12 | $84 | $210 |
| Screening papanicolaou smear; obtaining, preparing and conveyance of cervical or vaginal smear to laboratory | 11 | $42 | $50 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2023 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2023)
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
18.5 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 2023 |
| 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. Nicola is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 9% in TX), and low-engagement industry engagement, 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. Nicola experienced with office visit, established patient (30-39 min)?
Does Dr. Nicola receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
How do Dr. Nicola's costs compare to other family medicines in Spring Branch?
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Explore related providers
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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